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A  NEW  WOMAN 


BY 


JESSIE  DeFOLIART  HAMBLIN 


CHICAGO 
CHARLES  H.  KERR  &  COMPANY 
175  Monroe  Street 


Copyright  1895,  by ' 
Jessie  DeFoliart  Hamblin 


Unity  Library,  No.  48.  Monthly,  $3.00  a  year.  August,  18^5 

Entered  at  the  Postoffice.  Chicago,  es  second  class  matter. 


A  NEW  WOMAN. 

CHAPTER  I. 

It  is  an  August  evening  in  the  metropolis  of  Eng- 
land. Two  gentlemen  are  seated  in  an  elegantly 
appointed  room,  talking  politics,  society  and  scandal. 

"But,  my  lord,  I  do  not  agree  with  you." 

"Certainly  not,  Sir  Alfred;  I  didn't  expect  it. 
You  never  agree  with  any  one.  But,  let's  change  the 
subject.  Just  look  at  this  picture.  That — that  ob- 
ject is  a  female;  in  other  words  a  woman;  and  that 
thing  she  has  on  is  a  divided  skirt;  and  this  you 
probably  recognize  to  be  a  cigar.  It's  going  to  be 
the  fashion  pretty  soon.  Isn't  it  horrible!  Just 
think  of  it,  Sir  Alfred,  just  think  of  making  love  to 
a  divided  skirt.  Is  your  imagination  vivid  enough 
to  picture  it?    What  is  the  world  coming  to?" 

"My  lord,  the  world  is  going  to  hell  at  a  Nancy 
Hanks  speed.  Women,  instead  of  trying  to  lift  men 
to  their  standard,  are  lowering  themselves  to  ours, 
and  we  know  that  has  never  been  very  high,  mor- 
ally. But  I  suppose  the  poor  things  have  become 
discouraged;  have  grown  tired  of  pulling  against  the 
tide  and  concluded  to  turn  and  go  with  us." 

"You  are  much  too  particular.  It  isn't  the  wom- 
en of  to-day  that  I'm  objecting  to, but  the  inevitable 
divided  skirt.    Of  course,  it  will  be  all  right  after 

5 


(5 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


we  become  accustomed  to  it,  but  at  first  it  will  be 
rather  embarrassing,  you  know.  We  will  half  im- 
agine that  we  are  making  love  to  one  of  our  own  sex. 
Oh,  confound  it,  it  will  be  very  unpleasant  for  a 
little  while." 

"The  world  is  going  to  hell,  that's  all,"  Sir  Alfred 
said  with  calm  earnestness. 

"Well,  you  must  admit  the  trip  is  very  pleasant 
and  exciting. " 

"It  certainly  is  exciting  and  there  is  a  kind  of  un- 
bridled pleasure  about  it,  but  there  is  no  heart-felt 
happiness,  no  serene  contentment." 

"No  such  things  live  to-day,  except  in  poetry. 
You  were  born  too  late.  A  hundred  years  ago  women 
were  chaste  and  their  delight  was  in  their  husbands, 
but  the  world  no  longer  produces  the  sort  of  women 
you  admire.  It's  all  bosh  about  the  sacredness  of 
the  fireside,  anyway.  WVve  outlived  such  nonsense. 
Oh,  every  woman  has  her  hero,  I  suppose,  but  she's 
gotten  over  wanting  to  live  with  just  him  forever  and 
ever,  on  an  island.  The  honeymoon  is  quite  long 
enough  for  her  to  see  no  one  but  her  husband  and 
much  too  long  for  him  to  see  no  woman  but  his  wife. 
But  have  some  wine  to  wash  down  my  argument. 
You  see,  we've  been  out  of  school  nearly  twenty  years 
and  surely  have  gotten  over  hunting  for  an  Alice 
Darvil  or  a  Sybil  Warner.  They  are  simply  not  to 
be  found  in  our  set,  and  English  gentlemen  can't 
marry  beneath  their  rank,  unless,  indeed,  they  go  to 
America." 

"Is  the  wine  something  new?" 

"Yes,  I  just  got  a  cask  of  it  a  few  days  ago." 


A  NEW  WOMAft 


7 


"From  where?" 

"Well,  I  should  say  hell,  if  I  didn't  know  it  came 
from  France.  Say,  it  will  make  your  hair  stand  on 
end  if  yon  take  more  than  one  glass."' 

"Nonsense,  it  doesn't  taste  so  sharp.  It's  splendid. 
Let  me  taste  it  again,"  and  Sir  Alfred  poured  out  a 
second  glass. 

"Certainly,  certainly!  I  never  stop  from  fear  of 
consequences.  That's  it,  take  another.  But  say, 
have  you  met  Lord  Melton's  bride  yet?" 

"I've  seen  her,  but  haven't  met  her.  Quite  good 
looking,  but  I  don't  see  how  she  could  have  married 
him.  There  isn't  anything  about  him  to  attract  an 
intelligent  woman's  attention;  poor,  too." 

"Why,  he  has  a  title." 

"Yes." 

"And  she  is  an  American." 
"Y-e-s." 

"It's  as  plain  as  day,  now,  isn't  it?" 

"I'm  afraid  it  is.  But  isn't  it  growing  terribly 
disgusting,  the  way  Americans  toady  to  our  aristoc- 
racy? It  was  bad  enough  in  the  women,  but  now 
the  men  are  beginning  to  come  here.  I  tell  you, 
Lord  Avon,  I  haven't  words  to  express  my  contempt 
for  the  snobs.  They  are  despised  as  much  by  true 
Englishmen  as  by  true  Americans.  Equally  despic- 
able is  the  conduct  of  oar  noblemen  who  take  their 
impoverished  titles  to  an  American  market." 

"Sir  Alfred,  for  heaven's  sake,  hush.  I  didn't 
know  that  any  Englishman  would  bring  such  an 
accusation  against  his  own  land.  I  know  that  over 
in  America  they  think  that  every  titled  man  who 


8 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


sets  foot  upon  their  soil  is  in  quest  of  an  heiress. 
That  isn*'t  all;  they  are  so  devilish  frank  they  don't 
hesitate  to  tell  you  so,  in  no  very  delicate  way 
either."  Lord  Avon  looked  very  much  disgusted  as 
he  reached  for  another  glass  of  wine.  "But  you  are 
the  first  Englishman  I  ever  heard  rail  at  our  society. " 
His  lordship's  face  was  beginning  to  flush  as  the  wine 
flowed  more  freely. 

"Well,  it's  the  truth,  my  lord.  England  has  im- 
poverished nobles,  and  America  has  rich  daughters. 
The  exchange  is  fair  enough, as  both  parties  are  sat- 
isfied; but  the  spectacle  is  nauseating,  just  the  same. 
Keach  me  the  wine.  Now,  as  for  me,  I'm  a  true  Briton, 
every  heart-throb  is  true  to  dear  old  England;  but — 
but  I  must  admit,  I  must  say  what  I  have  never  said 
before,  that  she  is  retrograding,  that  she  is  becoming 
polluted.  She  is  rotten  to  the  core;  from  palace  to 
hovel,  from  prince  to  peasant."  Sir  Alfred  spoke 
rapidly.  The  wine  had  overcome  his  habitual  reserve. 

"Think  what  you  please,  say  what  you  please,  but 
don't  slander  old  England.  DonH  you  slander  old 
England.  She's  all  right.  England  for  aristocracy 
and  America  for  heiresses,  every  time.  Hurrah  for 
good  old  England!  America  is  all  right;  bless  her 
pretty  daughters.  I  may  go  there  for  a  wife  some 
day,  myself;  in  fact,  the  more  I  think  about  it,  the 
more  I  think  I  will.  Yes,  I  will.  Sir  Alfred,  I  chal- 
lenge you — I  challenge  you  to  a  contest,  and  bet  you 
fifty  pounds  that  I  can  go  to  America  and  be  engaged 
to  an  heiress  before  you  are." 

"Do  you  mean  that  you  will  simply  be  engaged  first 
or  that  you  can  be  married  first?" 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


9 


"I  meant  engaged,  and  I  can,  too;  but  if  I'm  not 
married  first,  I'll  forfeit  the  bet,  for  I  say  I  can  do 
it,  and  I  will  do  it.  Sir  Alfred,  aren't  you  going  to 
take  the  bet?    Surely  an  English  gentleman — " 

"Fifty  pounds!  Why  didn't  your  lordship  bet  a 
pair  of  cuffs?" 

"Sir  Alfred,  an  English  gentleman  won't  take  such 
a  taunt  coolly.  I'll  bet  you  fifty  thousand.  Do  you 
accept?" 

"Most  certainly;  do  you  mean  to  insult  me  by  in- 
sinuating that  I  would  hesitate  to  do  so?" 

Here  they  shook  hands.  The  thing  was  settled  and 
so  were  they,  to  some  extent.  That  fifty  thousand 
acted  as  a  cooler.  They  moved  away  from  the  wine 
and  sat  down  in  another  part  of  the  room. 

"Did  I  understand,  your  lordship,  that  marriage 
must  follow  if  such  an  engagement  take  place?  You 
know  a  gentleman  would  feel  a  little  delicate  about 
marrying  a  woman  he  had  bet  on." 

"I  should  think  he'd  feel  a  little  delicate  about 
backing  out  of  an  engagement;  however,  that  rests 
with  each  as  a  private  matter." 

"My  lord,  shall  we  have  a  contract?" 

"I  think,  that  as  we  are  Englishmen,  our  word  is 
quite  enough.    Yours,  at  least,  is  sufficient  for  me." 

"Very  well  then." 

"Does  your  cigar  taste  strong,  Sir  Alfred?" 
"Why,  no,  I  hadn't  noticed  anything  of  the  sort." 
"Well,  mine  does.    My  head  feels  infernally  light 
and  queer. " 

A  sickly  smile  crossed  Sir  Alfred's  face.  He  knew 
very  well  that  he  was  drunk  and  saw  no  reason  why 


io 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


Lord  Avon  should  not  be  also.  Certainly  enough 
wine  had  flowed,  and  the  excessive  bet  constituted 
strong  testimony. 

Lord  Avon  is  a  typical  Englishman ;  five  feet  ten 
in  height;  weighs  one  hundred  and  eighty  pounds; 
is  well  built  and  carries  himself  with  dignity.  He 
has  the  prettiest  blonde  hair,  silken  and  curly  as  a 
baby's,  and  the  most  beautiful  of  all  beautiful  mus- 
taches, which  he  pets  and  caresses  constantly.  He 
hasn't  an  enemy  in  the  world;  everybody  loves  him^ 
quite  as  much  as  he  does  himself. 

Sir  Alfred  is  taller,  and  although  not  so  handsome 
as  his  friend,  is  more  distinguished  looking,  possess- 
ing a  strong  face  and  reserved,  almost  haughty  man- 
ners. He  is  an  only  child  of  Lord  Gates,  a  baron  of 
much  political  sagacity  and  indefatigable  energy, 
but  whose  example  excites  no  emulation  in  his  son, 
for  at  the  age  of  thirty-eight  Sir  Alfred  has  accom- 
plished nothing  for  himself,  and  stands  looking  dis- 
dainfully on  while  others  less  gifted  than  himself 
push  forward  and  secure  higher  seats. 

These  two  young  men  were  great  friends  at  school 
and  are  friends  yet,  in  a  worldly  way,  but  they  have 
long  since  gotten  over  the  desire  to  share  all  their 
secrets;  and  now  tell  each  other  only  of  such  affairs 
as  any  friendly  acquaintance  might  be  permitted  to 
know.  Like  all  English  gentlemen,  they  drink,  and 
often  to  excess,  but  to-night's  spree  has  gone  beyond 
all  precedent,  as  even  their  muddled  minds  are  be- 
ginning to  suggest.  His  lordship  threw  his  half- 
smoked  cigar  away — he  never  smoked  more  than  half 
of  a  cigar,  lest  it  might  burn  his  mustache — and 
looked  at  his  watch. 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


11 


"What  time  is  it?"  Sir  Alfred  asked. 

"Half  past  one,  but  I'm  infernally  sleepy." 

"So  am  I.    I'm  going  home.  " 

"Don't  hurry,  don't  hurry.  Let's  have  some  more 
wine;  might  as  well  enjoy  ourselves  while  we  may." 

"No,  no,  I'll  go  home  and  to  sleep." 

"Good-night,  Sir  Alfred;  pleasant  dreams, "  gayly 
chattered  his  lordship  as  his  friend  departed,  feeling 
thoroughly  disgusted,  heartily  sick  of  the  evening's 
recklessness. 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  next  day  when  Lord  Avon  opened  his  pretty 
brown  eyes, something  very  like  an  oath  was  breathed 
through  his  blonde  mustache. 

"Fifty  thousand  pounds,  as  I'm  an  Englishman! 
Now,  what  could  have  induced  me  to  make  such  a 
bet?  I  really  can't  understand  at  all.  It  was  cer- 
tainly very  careless  in  me.  However,  it  is  done,  and 
a  gentleman  never  backs  down.  But  I  must  win 
that  bet;  to  lose  it  would  be  my  ruin.  Let  me  see — 
what  one  had  I  better  take.  There  was  Miss  Cameron, 
sensible  and  rich,  but  I  believe  that  she  was  to  have 
been  married  before  this,  so  she  don't  count.  Then 
there's  Senator  Smith's  daughter,  but  if  I  have  been 
rightly  informed,  her  father  has  gone  to  the  wall. 
That  lets  her  out.  Miss  Craig  was  sensible  and  rich, 
but  she  had  big  feet  and  such  a  lusty  waist ;  I  couldn't 
think  of  her.    Lady  Avon  must  have  small  feet 


12 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


and  a  taper  waist  as  well  as  a  million  dollars.  Miss 
Racine  was  distractingly  pretty,  but  much  too  fast. 
I  liked  her,  by  Jove,  I  did,  but  she  won't  do  to  marry. 
Let's  see;  are  there  any  more?  Yes.  Miss  E  as  ton ; 
quite  pretty,  very  nice  and  rich;  besides,  her  father 
is  a  congressman.  Miss  Easton  will  do,  I  guess.  She 
wasn't  engaged,  but  I  can  pretend  I  thought  she  was. 
If  I  remember  right  she  was  going  to  a  female  col- 
lege; so  it  isn't  likely  she's  married,  as  she  hadn't 
graduated.  I  think  I  flirted  with  her  a  little.  I  guess 
that  I  can  arrange  it  without  any  very  elaborate 
explanations.  Yes,  I  can  get  her  all  right."  He 
touched  the  bell  and  his  valet  entered. 

"Here,  Adams,  get  some  cold  water  and  bathe  my 
head,  first  thing,  then  some  wine,  my  coffee,  and 
attend  to  my  toilet." 

Adams  slid  about  noiselessly, performing  his  duties 
as  systematically  as  the  clock  ticks  off  the  minutes; 
and  in  half  an  hour  his  master  was  bathed,  combed, 
brushed  and  perfumed,  and  looked  and  felt  as  fresh 
as  a  dewdrop. 

"Why,  Sir  Alfred,  good-morning!  I  didn't  expect 
to  find  you  here,"  he  said  upon  meeting  his  friend 
in  the  hall,  when  going  to  breakfast.  "Have  you 
breakfasted  yet?" 

"No.  I  thought  you  wouldn't  beat  me,  so  I  came 
for  you  and  am  barely  in  time,  I  see.  But — I — I — 
believe  we  made  a  rather  foolish  bet  last  night,  and 
I  just  thought  if  you  wanted  to  retract — " 

"Certainly  not,  certainly  not!  I'm  an  Englishman 
and  a  man  of  honor.  I  will  not  retract  unless  you 
wish — " 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


13 


••I?  No.  indeed.  I  was  just  thinking  of  you:  you 
know  your  fortune  is  not  so  large  as  it  was  ten  years 
ago. " 

••Very  kind  of  you.  Sir  Alfred!  to  think  of  me, 
but  your  kindness  is  a  little  offensive;  pardon  me,  i" 
don't  mean  any  offense/' 

"And  I  will  take  none, "  Sir  Alfred  answered,  as 
his  face  settled  into  its  habitual  calm.  "When  had 
we  better  start  on  this  wild  goose  chase?" 

"You  may  call  it  a  wild  goose  chase  if  you  want 
to,  but  I  assure  you  that- 1  intend  to  have  a  whole 
lot  of  fun  out  of  it.  You  see,  the  fair  daughters  of 
America  will  fairly  swarm  around;  all  we  will  have 
to  do  .will  be  to  open  our  arms  and  we  can  have  our 
choice  from  dozens  of  them.  So  be  consoled  ;  there's 
no  need  of  coming  back  without  an  heiress  even  if 
chance  shouldn't  favor  you  in  time  to  win  the  bet." 

Sir  Alfred  frowned  and  looked  away.  Somehow 
he  disliked  hearing  the  truth  in  such  plain  language. 

"But  you  didn't  say  when  we  had  better  start." 

"Xext  week,  don't  you  think?  This  is  the  tenth; 
we  want  to  get  back  for  the  opening,  don't  we?" 

"Just  as  you  say.  my  lord.  I  don't  care  much 
where  I  am  when  the  season  opens.  I  am  getting  so 
infernally  tired  of  everything  that  I  would  like  to  go 
to  sleep  and  sleep  as  long  as  old  Rip  did;  then  a  man 
might  get  through  the  remainder  of  his  life  tolerably 

well." 

"•Sir  Alfred,  you  should  be  more  sensible.  What 
has  been  can  never  be  again ;  we  should  live  right 
along  with  the  tim^s:  this  is  a  progressive  age;  I 
wouldn't  miss  one  year  of  my  life  now  for  any 


14 


A  JMEW  WOMAN 


amount  of  money.  We  must  take  the  world  as  it 
comes;  it  is  certainly  revolving  faster  now  than  it 
did  one  hundred  years  ago,  and  it  may  make  the  un- 
initiated a  little  dizzy,  but  you  and  I,  who  have  been 
on  the  turf  for  forty  years,  ought  to  be  making  the 
most  of  every  minute."  Here  they  came  to  the  club 
rooms,  entered  and  ordered  breakfast — breakfast  at 
fifteen  minutes  of  midday! 

"Hello;  there  is  our  friend  Kirby.  He  looks  com- 
pletely knocked  up,  and  no  wonder  ;  the  thing  is  get- 
ting very  public.  Poor  fellow !  I  should  sue  for  a 
divorce  at  once.  Marriage  is  a  failure  anyway,  but 
you  and  I  are  in  for  it;  we  have  a  name  to  per- 
petuate." 

"Yes,  my  lord,  I  believe  marriage  is  a  failure." 


CHAPTER  III. 

Lord  Gates  was  sitting  at  his  desk,  reading  and 
writing  letters.  He  is  a  busy  man  always,  and  just 
now  is  particularly  engaged  in  writing  answers  to  a 
large  pile  of  important  letters.  He  is  in  no  mood 
to  be  bothered.  Sir  Alfred,  never  busy  himself, 
doesn't  understand  this,  and  informally  enters,  seats 
himself  by  the  desk  and  waits  for  his  father  to  look 
up.  He  waits  a  long  time,  but  his  presence  seems 
unnoted  by  his  father,  who  writes  steadily  on.  At 
last,  recalling  an  engagement  which  he  must  shortly 
fulfill,  he  begins: 

"Father,  I've  made  a  d — d  fool  of  myself."  Lord 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


15 


Gates  kept  right  on  writing,  and  finally,  without 
raising  his  eyes,  said : 

"Very  likely;  I'm  not  in  the  least  surprised.  A 
man  who  has  nothing  useful  to  do,  must  employ 
himself  some  other  way.  I  hope  you'll  be  a  success- 
ful one. " 

"Well,  sir,  it's  no  joking  matter.  I've  made  a 
devilish  big  bet  and  one  that  will  leave  my  finances 
at  a  mighty  low  ebb;  I've  got  a  fifty  thousand  pound 
bet  on  hand."  Lord  Gates  laid  his  pen  down,  pushed 
his  chair  back  and  sat  looking  at  his  son. 

"You  see,  I  was  drunk." 

"It  isn't  necessary  to  tell  me  that.  You've  been 
drunk  before,  but  never  quite  so  wild.  How  came 
you  to  get  in  for  such  a  sum  as  that?" 

"Lord  Avon  was  worse  off  than  I.  He  bet  fifty 
pounds  and  I  asked  why  he  didn't  wager  a  pair  of 
cuffs.  That  nettled  him  and  he  raised  it  to  fifty 
thousand,  and  I  was  just  far  enough  gone  to  take  it. " 

"Why  don't  you  draw  off?" 

"I  offered  to  let  him,  but  he  took  it  almost  as  an 
insult,  so  of  course  I  couldn't,  or  wouldn't,  rather." 

"Well,  what  the  thunder  was  it  about?" 

Sir  Alfred  cleared  his  throat,  hemmed  and  hawed, 
blushed  like  a  boy,  and  finally  said: 

"Why,  you  see,  we  got  to  talking  about  American 
women,  or  heiresses  rather;  how  easily  they  can  be 
caught  by  Englishmen,  and  we  drank  and  talked 
until  he  bet  he  could  go  over  and  be  engaged  to  an 
heiress  before  I  could." 

Here  Lord  Gates  began  to  rub  his  hands  and 
chuckle  in  apparent  glee.  Sir  Alfred  looked  on  in 
wonder,  which  finally  changed  to  amazement.  ' '  What 
is  so  funny?"  he  finally  succeeded  in  articulating. 


16 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"Now,  Alfred,  my  boy;  I've  got  yon.  You  can't 
afford  to  lose  that  money;  you'll  have  to  win  it, 
don't  you  see?  You'll  have  to  marry." 

"I'm  afraid  I  will,  father,  but  I'll  be  so  rushed 
that  I  may  not  be  able  to  get  such  a  wife  as  I  could 
wish. " 

"I  don't  care  a  penny  whether  you  get  such  a  wife  • 
as  you  could  wish  or  not.  Haven't  you  been  dally- 
ing around  for  fifteen  years  and  I  doing  everything 
to  help  you  on?  Didn't  I  more  than  half  propose  to 
Lady  Maud  Peckham  for  you  and  then  couldn't  get 
you  to  do  your  part?  Ten  or  fifteen  years  ago,  I 
wanted  to  see  you  happy  with  some  nice,  sweet  girl, 
but  now  I  don't  care  what  kind  of  a  tartar  you  get. 
But  you  must  marry ;  the  name  must  be  perpetuated ; 
so  you  or  I  must  marry." 

"I  would  much  rather,  father,  that  you  would." 

"Of  all  strange  men  you  are  the  strangest.  You 
seem  never  to  have  been  young  or  to  have  had  a 
single  ambition.  You  might  have  attained  eminence, 
even  the  premiership.  What  under  the  sun  makes 
you  so  indifferent?" 

"I  despise  this  political  web  of  ours;  I  despise  the 
methods  that  are  used  to  gain  power  and  prestige.  I 
would  scorn  an  office  gained  by  intrigue.  I'd  rather 
be  a  drone  than  a  knave." 

"You  are  talking  utter  nonsense.  The  end  justifies 
the  means;  a  man  should  intrigue  until  he  gets  the 
position  he  wants,  then  he  can  throw  off  his  mask, 
when,  if  he  have  a  stout  heart  and  a  man's  courage, 
he  can  hold  his  place.  The  ignorant  and  vulgar  are 
eternally  howling  about  corruption  in  politics.  There 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


17 


is  no  more  corruption  there  than  in  business  life, 
traffic  and  trade.  That  old  cry  is  worn  threadbare. 
We  can't  revolutionize  the  world;  we  can  only  have 
a  principle  and  stand  by  it."  Here  Lord  Gates 
brought  his  fist  down  with  a  crash. 

"Father,  I  am  sorry  that  I  have  disappointed  you 
so.  I  am  not  happy  in  my  inactivity,  but  I  don't 
want  to  win  honors  that  I  can't  glorify." 

"Poorer  men  than  you  are  occupying  high  posi- 
tions. " 

"Well,  father,  if  I  marry  and  raise  up  a  family  to 
the  good  old  name,  you  will  forgive  me,  won't  you?" 

"You  must  marry;  you  can't  afford  to  lose  that 
money,  and  I  won't  promise  to  help  you.  I  haven't 
any  money  to  throw  away;  but  I  hope,  after  all,  that 
you  will  get  a  decent  sort  of  a  wife.  I  think  I  would 
look  for  a  woman  rather  than  an  heiress." 

"But  she  must  be  rich  or  the  bet  is  lost." 

"Well,  try  to  find  the  two  qualities  combined; 
a  woman  with  money." 

"I'm  in  earnest,  father;  I  really  intend  to  make  a 
faithful  search  for  a  wife." 

"Search!  Great  heavens,  you  talk  as  if  the  world 
were  not  full  of  women;  and  for  that  matter  a  man 
need  never  leave  England.  But  I  must  waste  no 
more  time;  when  do  you  sail?" 

"Next  week,"  said  Sir  Alfred,  as  he  left  his  father's 
presence. 


18 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


CHAPTER  IV. 

u My  lord, is  everything  ready?  It's  devilish  early 
but  we  must  be  stirring  if  we  are  to  get  off, "  Sir 
Alfred  said,  upon  entering  his  friend's  apartments. 

"Early!  I  should  say  so.   Is  the  sun  up,  Adams?" 

"Yes,  my  lord;  it  has  been  up  two  hours." 

"Here,  I  believe  my  tie  is  not  on  straight.  Take 
that  raveling  off  my  leg — button  my  glove  and  hand 
me  my  cigar  case.    Everything  ready?" 

"Yes,  my  lord,  the  luggage  is  at  the  pier  and  the 
carriage  is  waiting." 

"Come,  Sir  Alfred,  send  your  carriage  home,  and 
go  with  me.  I  don't  believe  any  one  knows  we  are 
going  and  they  needn't  find  it  out;  we'll  just  lounge 
around  and  not  go  aboard  until  the  last  minute." 

"I  hope  I  shan't  be  seasick,"  his  lordship  said,  a 
few  moments  later,  as  they  stood  on  deck  smoking. 
"I  was,  the  last  time  I  crossed,  and  I  felt  so  mean 
for  three  or  four  days  that  I  wasn't  fit  for  anything. 
It  wouldn't  do  to  be  laid  up  this  time  and  give  you 
the  start  of  me.  Mercy,  look  at  the  sun ;  how  high 
he  is!  I  wonder  when  he  rises.  But  it  is  so  calm 
and  fresh  that  I  don't  feel  sleepy  and  I  didn't  get  to 
bed  very  early  last  night  either.  Say,  my  friend, 
you've  no  idea  how  melancholy  I'm  feeling." 

"Why,  yes,  I  had  noticed  that  you  were  rather 
quiet  and  preoccupied." 

"I  think  you're  a  little  sarcastic,  old  boy.  The 
worse  I  feel,  the  more  I  talk,  so  I  won't  have  to 
think,  don't  you  see?    But  really  I  am  in  trouble." 

"How?" 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


19 


u  Why,  I  went  to  see  Cleonice  last  night,  and  really, 
the  poor  girl  is  perfectly  distracted.  I  told  her  I  was 
going  to  America  and  wanted  to  leave  her  a  little 
cash,  but  no;  she  wouldn't  have  any.  Said  she  would 
hire  out — go  on  the  stage — beg — starve,  but  not  touch 
my  money.  She  was  morally  certain  I  was  going 
wife-hunting.  Just  think  of  it;  a  man  can't  cross 
the  water  without  having  that  dinned  into  his  ears, 
both  here  and  in  America.  Well,  she  wouldn't  take 
money,  and  she  talked  to  me  in  a  way  that  actually 
touched  me." 

"Pshaw!  aren't  you  a  little  too  conscientious?" 

"I  admit  that  I  am.  You  see,  I  don't  know 
whether  I  ever  promised  to  marry  her  or  not.  I 
surely  didn't,  but  she  swears  that  I  did,  and  actually 
wanted  me  to  do  so — positively  and  truly  she  did. 
Think  of  it!  Me,  an  Avon,  with  only  a  sickly  boy 
between  me  and  an  earldom!  She  also  reminded  me 
that  I  had  seduced  her.  Now,  I  suppose  that  is  true, 
but  I  do  know  that  if  the  devil  coaxed  me  into  hell, 
I  wouldn't  admit  to  my  God  that  I  hadn't  gone  will- 
ingly. Well,  she  just  heaped  a  mountain  of  re- 
proaches on  my  head,  and  I  couldn't  say  a  word. 
There's  too  much  fol-de-rol  about  women  being 
betrayed.  I  think,  sometimes,  it's  the  men  who  are 
seduced.  Well,  the  whole  thing  is  a  horrible  bore. 
The  woman  has  lots  of  jewelry  and  all  the  furniture, 
which  I  suppose  she  will  sell  when  she  has  to;  so  I'm 
not  going  to  worry  about  it  any  longer." 


20 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


CHAPTER  V. 

Sir  Alfeed  was  sauntering  about  the  deck,  think- 
ing in  a  dreamy  sort  of  way,  what  this  trip  might 
mean  to  him.  Would  he  marry,  and  if  so,  would 
he  be  happy?  Would  he  love?  Would  he  find  his 
ideal? 

Sir  Alfred  Gates  had  had  an  ideal  at  one  time  in 
his  life,  but  now  he  scarcely  ever  thought  of  her; 
never,  except  when  the  thought  of  marriage  was 
forced  upon  him.  To-day  his  mind  reverted  to  the 
fantasy  of  his  youth.  She  must  be  beautiful,  yet 
wholly  unconscious  of  that  beauty;  brilliant,  yet- 
innocent  of  being  so;  she  must  be  ail  virtue,  all 
truth,  all  love,  all  tenderness,  perfectly  happy  in 
the  love  and  home  he  would  so  gladly  give  her,  and 
she  must  have  no  desire,  no  ambition  for  anything 
else — such  a  woman  as  it  would  surely  be  impossible 
to  find,  since  Psyche  first  mirrored  her  pretty  face 
in  the  water,  or  Eve  felt  the  yearning  to  move  in  a 
larger  sphere.  But  we  hug  a  delusion  until  we  find 
a  reality  more  pleasing. 

And  his  lordship  wras  thinking,  too;  wondering 
when  he  would  return  to  his  native  land,  covered 
all  over  with  glory  and  Uncle  Sam's  dollars. 

***** 

"Land  in  sight!  Land  in  sight!"  some  one  yells, 
and  theory,  "Homeagain,  home  again,  to  America!" 

arises.  The  gjreat  ship  draws  nearer,  the  towers  of 
the  city  are  plainly  seen,  the  usual  throng  awaits  on 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


21 


shore,  but  not  the  same — never  the  same.  The  gang 
plank  slides  in  place  and  the  home-comers  are  soon 
lost  among  those  waiting  to  receive  them.  But  there 
was  no  reception  for  our  Englishmen,  and  Lord 
Avon,  drawing  his  friend  aside,  said : 

"Now,  Sir  Alfred,  hadn't  we  better  part  here  and 
each  take  his  own  way,  or  how?" 

"Why,  yes,  I  suppose  it  would  be  as  well;  I  don't 
know  whether  I  will  stay  in  New  York  or  seek  some 
of  the  more  rural  districts.  But  how  shall  we  com- 
municate? A  letter's  too  slow  and  a  telegram  is  too 
public. " 

"We'll  have  to  telegraph." 

"Yes;  but  the  minute  your  charmer  says  'yes,' 
must  you  rush  pell-mell  from  her  presence  to  send 
the  news?" 

"Guess  so.  The  end  justifies  the  means.  But  say, 
let's  make  the  provision  that  the  money  be  not  paid 
until  the  engagement  ends  in  marriage."  His  lord- 
ship was  feeling  a  little  guilty  because  of  his  advantage 
over  his  friend,  who  was  unacquainted  with  the  coun- 
try and  the  people,  while  he  was  able  to  pursue  defi- 
nite plans. 

"You  know  there  was  no  provision  made  either 
way,"  he  continued. 

"Why,  if  you  wish  it  so." 

"I  thought  it  might  make  it  a  little  easier  for  the 
unfortunate  one  to  give  him  a  little  time.  Where 

will  you  be?  You  can  wire  me  at  S  .  I  will  make 

arrangements  to  get  information  there." 

"I  will  be  at  the  U  for  the  present,  and  will 

notify  you  if  I  change  location. " 


22 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


So  they  separated.  We  will  first  follow  Sir  Alfred. 
He  takes  the  train  for  a  suburban  locality,  puts  up 
at  an  exclusive  hotel,  adorns  himself  with  a  suit  of 
a  gayer  sort  than  usual  with  him  and  goes  forth  in 
a  mood  half  comic,  half  desperate,  "to  conquer  or 
to  fall." 

It  is  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening.  The  most  pop- 
ular park  in  the  place  is  beginning  to  show  signs  of 
life.  There  is  to  be  some  kind  of  an  entertainment 
and  the  crowd  is  arriving  early  enough  for  a  prome- 
nade before  the  music  begins.  Sir  Alfred  is  walking 
leisurely  around,  looking  out  for  a  possible  acquaint- 
ance, and  the  probable  heiress,  with  all  the  qualities 
of  his  ideal.  "Why  won't  this  lady  do?"  and  he 
stands  and  looks  at  a  blonde  head  that  is  evidently 
unconscious  of  being  scrutinized.  What  blonde  hair, 
what  a  fair  skin,  such  a  pretty  neck,  and  so  ex- 
quisitely dressed !  She  must  be  rich  and  she  certainly 
is  young.  He  wonders  how  he  can  make  her  ac- 
quaintance in  a  careless  way,  and  longs  for  her  to 
drop  her  handkerchief  or  fan.  But  nothing  offering 
itself,  he  decides  upon  a  bold  strike, and  making  his 
way  to  where  she  is  sitting,  says  in  his  most  winning 
way: 

"Pardon  me,  madam,  but  haven't  we  met  before?" 

Madam  looked  at  him  frigidly  and  remarked  that 
she  didn't  recall  meeting  him,  and  inquired  his 
name. 

"My  name  is  Gates;  my  home  is  in  England.  I 
can't  say  where  I've  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting 
you,  unless  in  London,"  he  stammered. 

"Ton  my  word,  is  this  Sir  Alfred  Gates?  Ah, 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


28 


don't  you  remember  me;  my  Dame  is  Snib?  Met 
you  in  London  several  years  ago.  This  is  my  wife. 
Sir  Alfred  Gates,"  and  Mr.  Snib,  the  millionaire 
brewer,  who  had  at  that  moment  joined  them, 
mopped  his  face  and  looked  very  proud  of  Mrs. 
Snib.  number  three. 

Sir  Alfred  shook  hands  with  the  little  woman  and 
at  the  same  time  gave  her  a  scrutinizing  look.  He 
hadn't  noticed  before  that  the  fair  skin  was  due  to 
powder,  but  now  he  saw  it,  and  also  that  the  hair 
had  been  blondined.  It  flashed  upon  him  suddenly 
that  she  was  not  pretty,  only  neat  and  stylish. 

"I'm  not  sure  that  I  remember  you,  for  you  know, 
so  many  Americans  visit  London,  and  yet  I  fancied 
I  had  seen  your  wife;  perhaps  that  was  the  time." 

••Oh,  no,  Sir  Alfred:  we  were  not  married  then," 
she  said,  shyly  dropping  her  eyes,  her  coldness  sud- 
denly changing  to  coquetry.  "How  long  are  you 
going  to  be  in  America,  and  in  town?" 

UI  hardly  know. " 

-*You  will  come  to  see  us  while  you  are  here,  won't 
you?  Come  to-morrow ;  we  will  send  the  carriage 
for  you:  you  must  come." 

"Cora,  this  is  Sir  Alfred  Gates,  of  London:  this 
is  my  niece.  Miss  Dare,  Sir  Alfred,"  spoke  Snib,  as 
a  young  woman  joined  them. 

Mrs.  Snib  continued:  ,kYou  are  going  to  stay  for 
the  music,  of  course;  we  are  going  to  have  a  fine 
entertainment — first-class  talent  from  somewhere.  I 
can't  think  where.  Ah,  there  is  the  music,  now. 
Come  with  us.  there  are  plenty  of  seats  yet." 

So  our  Englishman  found  himself  a  moment  later 


24 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


sitting  by  Mrs.  Snib's  niece,  but  he  was  sure  as  he 
compared  the  two  that  Miss  Dare  was  the  more  at- 
tractive; that  her  pretty  flaxen  hair  had  not  been 
blondined  and  that  there  was  not  a  vestige  of  powder 
on  her  face.  How  small,  fair  and  sweet  she  looked, 
sitting  there  by  him  and  how  anxiously  he  waited 
for  Cupid's  little  dart  to  get  in  its  work  on  him! 

Cora  Dare  was  visiting  her  aunt,  and  expecting  to 
make  her  debut  as  soon  as  the  season  opened.  She 
was  eighteen  years  old,  fair  and  gentle  and  "accom- 
plished," and  was  really  quite  charming.  She  cher- 
ished but  one  ambition,  and  that  was  to  obtain  a 
titled  husband : — 

"  English,  Irish,  French  or  Spanish, 
German,  Italian,  Dutch  or  Danish." 

Sir  Alfred,  ignorant  of  this,  anxiously  improved 
every  moment.  He  had  no  time  for  an  extended 
courtship. 

"I  may  come,  may  I  not?"  he  said  when  the  con- 
cert was  over.,and  she  bashfully  replied,  "Yes,  I  don't 
mind." 

"I'll  accept  your  kind  invitation, "  Sir  Alfred  said 
to  Mrs.  Snib  as  he  helped  Miss  Dare  into  the  car- 
riage. 

Now  he  must  ascertain  her  financial  status.  But 
here;  doesn't  he  recognize  this  young  fellow?  Yes, 
surely  this  is  Adolphus  Snib,  and  so  it  proved;  the 
next  moment  they  were  walking  together,  talking. 

"I  have  just  met  your  mother — or  rather  your 
father's  wife. " 

"Yes,  my  step-step-mother,  my  father's  third 
wife.    I  don't  believe  in  mixing  one's  relationships 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


25 


in  such  a  way;  besides, a  man  of  his  age  has  no  busi- 
ness to  marry  such  a  young  woman,  when  he  has 
children  of  his  own." 

"Why,  your  father  isn't  such  an  old  man;  I  don't 
believe  him  to  be  ten  years  older  than  myself." 

"Well,  you're  no  spring  chicken,  Sir  Alfred." 

"Now,  Snib,  don't  try  to  get  any  of  your  Ameri- 
canisms off  on  me,"  Sir  Alfred  said  jocularly,  trying 
to  establish  a  familiarity  that  would  warrant  the  ques- 
tions he  wished  to  ask  concerning  Miss  Dare. 

"That  Miss  Dare,  too— a  charming  girl !  Let  me 
see — where  is  she  from?  I  believe  she  told  me,  but 
I  have  forgotten." 

"San  Francisco." 

"Yes,  yes;  that's  it.  Her  father  has  an  interest 
in  coal  mines?" 

"Miss  Dare  doesn't  happen  to  have  a  father;  he 
died  five  years  ago, "  replied  young  Snib,  eying  his 
companion  suspiciously. 

"Oh,  then  I  made  a  mistake,  but  I  thought  she 
spoke  of  coal  mines." 

"I  will  have  to  leave  you  here,  Sir  Alfred.  I  have 
an  engagement.    Here  is  my  card;  call  and  see  me. 

I've  rooms  at  the  L  ;  good-evening."    And  he 

was  gone,  leaving  Sir  Alfred  in  a  "confusion-worse- 
confounded"  state  of  mind. 


26 


A  NEW  WOMAtf 


CHAPTER  VI. 

"Another  caller,  sir." 

Our  congressman  took  the  card,  stared  at  it  a  mo- 
ment and  said,  "Show  him  in,  Sam,"  and  the  next 
moment  he  and  Lord  Avon  were  shaking  hands  and 
expressing  unbounded  pleasure  at  seeing  each  other. 
-  "Here,  have  this  chair.  Mercy!  how  hot  it  is, and 
you  drove  from  town  in  this  heat!  Why  didn't  you 
wait  till  evening?  It  always  begins  to  cool  off  about 
six  o'clock. " 

"Wait  until  evening!  My  dear  friend,  you've  no 
idea  what  brought  me  here  if  you  thought  I  might 
have  waited  until  evening." 

"Why,  my  lord,  I  nattered  myself  that  you  came 
to  see  me,  but  to  tell  the  truth,  I'm  surprised.  I 
didn't  think  you  London  boys  ever  lost  yourselves  so 
far  out  in  the  country.  " 

"  "My  dear  Congressman  Easton,  I  have  been  pin- 
ing away  to  get  lost  out  here,  and  had  it  not  been  for 
a  misunderstanding,  would  have  been  here  long  ago. " 

"I  don't  understand  you." 

"Probably  not,  but  I  will  explain.  A  year  ago  this 
summer,  when  you  were  in  London,  I  met  your 
daughter  and  was  much  impressed  with  her,  but  I 
understood  from  young  Snib — you  remember  him, 
he  was  with  your  party — that  she  was  to  be  married, 
and  while  he  didn't  say  it  right  out,  I  fancied  that 
he  was  the  happy  man.  But  about  ten  days  ago  I  saw 
a  Saratoga  paper, and  looking  it  through,!  ran  across 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


27 


an  account  of  your  returning  with  your  son  and 
daughter  to  your  country  seat,  preparatory  to  your 
children  starting  away  to  school  in  September.  I 
knew  then  that  it  was  a  mistake  about  her  approach- 
ing marriage  and  sailed  on  the  very  next  ship,  and 
here  I  am,  to  ask  the  hand  of  your  daughter  in  mar- 
riage." 

"You  say  that  Snib  led  you  to  believe  that  my 
daughter  was  to  be  married?" 

"Yes,  in  an  indirect  wTay.  I  hope  I'm  not  too  late, 
sir;  I  hope  that  his  confounded  chatter  hasn't  ruined 
my  happiness?"  said  his  lordship  in  a  tone  of  de- 
spair. 

"Oh,  no;  but  excuse  me  if  I  question  you  a  little. 
You  think  Snib  wanted  a  chance?" 
"Yes." 

"And  could  you  see  that  she  showed  him  any  pref- 
erence?" 

His  lordship  was  becoming  bewildered;  he  couldn't 
see  the  point,  though  he  knew  there  was  one  to  all 
this  parley,  and  decided  to  take  a  neutral  position. 
The  truth  was,  our  congressman  didn't  want  his 
daughter  to  marry  the  Englishman,  but  any  one  was 
preferable  to  Snibs. 

"I'm  sure  I  can't  say,  sir;  I  was  too  knocked  up 
to  notice  anything,  though  I  fancied  she  did  prefer 
him;  but  that  might  have  been  a  trick  of  the  imag- 
ination. I  hope,  sir,  that  I  have  your  consent  to 
address  your  daughter?" 

"Well,  I  will  go  and  send  her  to  you  and  it  will 
be  as  she  says,  but  she  must  go  to  school  another 
year;  even  then  she  will  be  young  to  marry." 


28 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"O,  don't  discourage  me  by  such  a  provision  as 
that,  but  of  course  I  will  abide  by  your  wishes, "  and 
then  followed  a  murmur  about  "blessed  privilege," 
"sacred  promise,"  and  so  forth. 

A  few  moments  later  sweet,  bashful  Agnes  Easton 
came  into  the  presence  of  Lord  Avon.  She  had  no 
idea  whether  she  wished  to  marry  him  or  any  one 
else,  yet  when  she  went  back  to  her  room  she  wore 
a  betrothal  ring,  and  a  few  minutes  later  his  lord- 
ship managed  to  send  a  telegram  which  read : 

"I'm  the  most  fortunate  man  on  earth.  Congratu- 
late me. " 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Mrs.  Snib  couldn't  contain  herself.  "I  do  hope, 
Nannie,"  she  said  to  a  servant,  "that  everything 
will  go  off  smooth  without  any  clashing  or  any  mis- 
takes. " 

"I  think  everything  'ull  be  all  right,"  Nannie  re- 
plied, "but  what  is  the  man's  name  who  is  to  be 

here?" 

"Sir  Alfred  Danville — or  was  it  Damson — oh, any- 
way he's  an  English  nobleman." 

"What  business  does  he  follow?" 

"Oh,  dear,  he  doesn't  do  anything;  he's  a  man  of 
leisure,  a  titled  man." 

"But  sometimes  gentlemen  work,  you  know.  Mr. 
Snib,  for  instance, "  Nannie  persisted,  but  keeping 
her  face  turned  from  Mrs.  Snib. 

"Oh,  well,  things  are  so  different  here  from  what 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


29 


they  are  in  England;  you  can  tell  a  gentleman  there 
without  asking  any  questions,  but  here — oh,  clear 
me — I'd  so  much  rather  live  there, "  and  with  this 
Mrs.  Snib  betook  herself  to  the  parlor. 

"Do,  Auntie;  let's  put  Venus  in  some  corner," 
Cora  said,  turning  from  the  piano. 

"Why,  dear?" 

uOh,  she  does  look  so  naked." 

"That  is  very  artistic,  dear,  and  you  should  culti- 
vate a  taste  for  such.  I  don't  think  it  looks  so  bad 
for  her  to  be  naked  as  to  have  only  one  arm.  She's 
a  deformed  looking  thing,  but  then  it's  artistic. 
What  had  we  better  do  this  evening  to  pass  the 
time?" 

ik  Maybe  he  plays  high  five  or  whist?" 

"Oh,  I  expect  he  plays  baccarat;  I  do  wish  we 
knew  how. " 

"But  isn't  that  gambling,  Auntie?" 

"It  don't  make  any  difference  if  it  is.  It's  all 
the  rage  in  London,  anyway,  and  I  would  give  any- 
thing to  know  how  to  play  it," 

At  the  appointed  time,  Sir  Alfred  presented  himself 
at  the  Snibs'  residence.  He  was  met  by  Mrs.  Snib, 
who  was  profusely  dressed  and  mannered,  and  hailed 
by  Snib  familiarly.  His  heart  sank,  but  when  Cora 
in  white  silk  and  pearls  entered  the  room  his  misgiv- 
ings vanished.  He  greeted  her  warmly  and  decided 
to  settle  matters  at  the  first  opportunity.  Finding 
it  difficult  to  keep  the  tortured  conversation  going, 
Cora  was  asked  and  entreated  to  favor  them  with 
some  music.  She  consented  bashfully  and  shied 
quickly  past  Venus  as  she  took  her  place  at  the  piano. 


30 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


Now, this  piano  was  a  gorgeous  affair,  made  of  the 
finest  woods  of  some  half-dozen  different  shades, and 
the  polished  surfaces  were  adorned  with  pictures  by 
great  artists.  It  had  cost  an  immense  amount  of 
money  and  the  Snibs  were  justly  proud  of  it. 

"What  an  elegant  piece  of  workmanship!"  Sir 
Alfred  said  while  Cora  sang. 

"Yes,  we  had  the  work  done  in  the  old  country. 
Cora  will  have  it  when  she  marries." 

"Your  gift  to  her — or  is  it  from  her  father?" 

"Oh,  from  us.  Her  father  died  while  she  was  at 
school  before  he  knew  of  her  great  musical  ability. 
He  would  have  gotten  it  for  her, no  doubt, for  he  was 
very  rich,"  Snib  remarked. 

"She  will  make  her  debut  here  in  a  few  weeks, 
just  as  soon  as  she  comes  of  age,"  Mrs.  Snib  said  in 
a  half  whisper.    "I  do  hope  you  will  be  here  then." 

While  this  was  just  what  Sir  Alfred  wanted  to 
know, it  almost  sickened  him  to  have  it  so  unreserv- 
edly proclaimed  and  he  rather  abruptly  asked : 

"Do  you  like  the  old  country?" 

"Yes,  indeed.  I've  always  wanted  to  go  there.  I 
would  really  like  to  go  there  to  live." 

"You  certainly  show  excellent  judgment,  Mrs. 
Snib." 

"Society  is  so  different." 

"How?" 

"Oh,  every  way;  but  in  one  way  especially;  peo- 
ple are  not  taken  into  society  so  indiscriminately  as 
they  are  here;  everybody  knows  his  place  and  keeps 
it.  And  England  has  had  so  many  great  men — like 
Lord  Lytton  and  Sir  Charles  Dickens."  Sir  Alfred's 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


31 


gravity  was  taxed  and  he  was  heartily  glad  to  hear 
Mrs.  Snib  begin  to  talk  of  the  song  Cora  had  just 
finished.    "Do  you  like  that  song,  Sir  Alfred?'' 

"Yes,  it's  the  first  time  I've  heard  it;  it's  very 
pretty. " 

"Never  heard  'After  the  Ball?'  Why,  it's  been 
the  rage  all  summer.  But  don't  you  know  there  are 
some  people  who  make  fun  of  it.  I  think  it's  lovely, 
such  pure,  sweet  sentiment,  and  it's  so  true.  Just 
ask  Mr.  Snib  how  he  likes  baching." 

"Please  don't  remind  me  of  my  bachelorhood, 
Mrs.  Snib,"  said  Sir.  Alfred,  and  turning  to  Mr. 
Snib,  he  said  something  half  in  fun,  half  in  earnest, 
about  the  unmarried  man. 

"Oh,  yes,  indeed.  I  tell  you  there's  nothing  like 
having  a  wife  to — to — look — er — that  is  to  look — to 
be  looked  after,"  Snib  stammered. 

Here  they  all  laughed  and  Snib  left  the  room  for 
something.  Mrs.  Snib,  wanting  to  leave  Sir  Alfred 
and  Cora  alone,  excused  herself  and  withdrew,  but 
she  returned  almost  immediately  with  a  very  signif- 
icant looking  envelope,  which  she  handed  to  Sir 
Alfred. 

"I  hope  there  is  no  bad  news, "  Mrs.  Snib  ventured 
when  he  had  cast  his  eyes  over  the  message.  He 
looked  from  Mrs.  Snib  to  Cora,  and  scarcely  repressed 
a  sigh  of  relief.  He'd  lost  the  bet  and  d — d  if  he 
cared;  now  he'd  not  marry  until  he  chose. 

"Not  exactly  bad  news,  but  business  will  necessi- 
tate my  immediate  return  to  England, "  he  exclaimed. 

"Oh,  that's  too  bad,  we're  so  sorry,"  the  women 
exclaimed,  while  Snib  enquired  if  the  matter  couldn't 


32 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


be  fixed  up  without  his  going  back.  When  he  de- 
parted he  left  two  very  much  disappointed  females 
and  Snib  quite  upset. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Two  days  later  our  congressman  was  seated  in  his 
library  employed  in  smoking  and  sweating,  when 
the  family  carriage  drove  up  and  a  young  man  of 
about  twenty-one  years  of  age  sprang  out,  came  up 
the  marble  walk  with  a  quick, elastic  step,  and  directly 
into  our  congressman's  presence,  with  a  very-much- 
at-home  air. 

uHello,  my  son,"  the  father  said— for  such  was 
the  relationship,  "did  you  have  a  good  time?"  ex- 
tending his  left  hand— he  was  holding  his  cigar  with 
his  right — and  pushing  him  a  chair  with  his  foot. 

Joe  Easton  touched  the  extended  hand  coldly  and 
stood  staring  at  his  illustrious  parent  with  a  very  dis- 
gusted look  upon  his  bright,  boyish  face. 

"Well,  now,  what's  the  matter  with  you?  Why 
don't  you  sit  down?" 

"What's  the  matter  with  you,  I  should  like  to 
know?" 

"Now,  Joe,  just  sit  down  and  tell  me  what  you're 
driving  at. " 

"Harris  tells  me  that  Agnes  is  going  to  marry  that 
Englishman,  Lord  Avon,  with  your  consent." 

"And  how  does  that  concern  you,  if  she  is?" 

"Why,  I'm  in  the  family,  and  it  does  concern  me 
—and  yourself — vitally. " 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


33 


"How?  I  thought  you  and  he  were  great  friends, 
last  year  in  London." 

•'I  haven't  anything  special  against  him;  he's  jolly 
and  a  good  fellow  to  be  around  with;  but  he's  a 
titled  Englishman  and  you  ought  to  know  their 
trade." 

••Well,  I  don't.    Maybe  you  will  enlighten  me." 

"Fishing  for  suckers  like  you  and  Agnes." 

"Look  here,  Joe,  you've  gone  far  enough.  I  won't 
have  any  more  of  your  impertinence;  if  you've  any- 
thing to  say,  say  it." 

"Why,  he  has  the  honors  of  a  broken  down  family 
to  support,  and  he's  struck  America  for  a  rich  wife. 
He's  broke  and  has  come  here  to  make  a  stake." 

"Oh,  pshaw!  I  believe  the  fellow  is  all  right." 

"Well,  I  know  what  I'm  talking  about.  I  know 
that  he's  gambled  half  a  dozen  fortunes  away." 

"How  do  you  know?" 

"Why,  Adolphus  Snib  knows  it  to  be  a  fact.  He's 
been  to  London  five  or  six  times,  is  pretty  well  ac- 
quainted there,  goes  into  society  and  knows  a  thing 
or  two. ' ' 

"I  should  say  he  does  know  a  thing  or  two;  he's 
the  fastest  young  devil  in  Washington,  and  I  wish 
you'd  keep  away  from  him;  but  the  Englishman  I 
believe  is  all  right.  I've  seen  him  in  a  few  quiet 
games  of  draw,  seen  him  both  win  and  lose,  and  I'll 
swear  it  did  me  good  to  see  him  hand  over  the  money 
when  he  lost,  jovial  as  could  be.  Some  great  man 
has  said,  'If  you  are  a  beggar  spend  your  last  dollar 
like  a  prince,'  and  he  would  fork  over  his  last  with 
as  much  spirit  as  if  taking  some  other  man's.  There's 


34 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


something  in  that.    I  despise  a  man  who  will  cringe 

and  cower  before  anything." 

"Of  course  he  lives  like  a  prince  and  plays  the  per- 
fection of  recklessness, if  that's  all  that's  necessary," 
Joe  returned  contemptuously. 

uOh,  I  didn't  mean  it  that  way;  I  was  just  saying 
I  admired  his  spirit.  But  I  can't  understand  why 
this  man  who  is  thought  to  be  so  wealthy  should 
come  over  here  to  marry  for  money.  There  are  plenty 
of  rich  women  in  England." 

"There  is  just  where  you're  off.  There  are  very 
few  wealthy  women  among  the  aristocracy.  The 
money  goes  with  the  title  and  the  title  goes  to  the 
oldest  son  or  the  nearest  male  relative  and  the  wom- 
en have  only  annuities,  while  American  girls  share 
equally  with  their  brothers.  Why,  it  shows  on  the 
face  of  the  thing  that  he  had  an  object,  or  why  should 
he  rush  over  here  without  the  least  warning?" 

"Well,  I  don't  know,  Joe;  there  may  be  something 
in  wThat  you  say,  and  yet  I  can't  believe  it.  I  will 
go  and  see  this  young  Snib,  though  I've  no  confi- 
dence in  him;  he's  too  much  like  his  father.  But  I 
don't  care  for  Snib's  lies;  he  can't  hurt  me  now;  his 
brother  will  never  get  the  nomination  again — I  wish 
he  would, rather  than  the  man  they  are  going  to  run. 
'Twas  Snib's  money  that  pulled  his  brother  through 
the  last  convention." 

"Yes,  and  you'll  need  all  you've  got  before  you 
get  through  this  campaign,  and  that's  what  made  me 
anxious  about  this  affair  with  the  Englishman.  By 
the  time  you  have  paid  off  a  few  of  his  bets  you'll 
not  have  enough  left  to  elect  you  justice  of  the  peace. " 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


35 


"Well,  Joe,  you  see  I've  given  iny  word  and  I  don't 
know  what  we  can  do  about  it.  I  thought  it  would 
be  very  easy  for  her  to  do  worse.  What  can  we  do? 
I  wish  you  would  find  out  how  Agnes  feels — slyly, 
of  course."  Our  congressman  was  now  thoroughly 
aroused.  He  had  represented  his  district  for  ten 
years,  but  his  last  election  had  been  pretty  close  and 
it  was  costing  more  every  time.  He  had  always  been 
a  little  suspicious  of  English  titles,  but  when  brought 
face  to  face  with  the  bearer  of  one  and  it  seemed  so 
like  an  ordinary  human  being,  his  doubts  fell  asleep 
and  our  great,  wise,  shrewd  congressman  was  taken 
in. 

"I  think  I  wrould  run  the  risk  of  her  doing  worse," 
Joe  said  as  he  picked  up  his  hat  to  leave. 
"I  can  depend  on  you,  Joe,  if  necessary?" 
"  Certainly." 

uAnd  you  will  find  how  Agnes  feels  and  report?" 
"Yes." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

When  he  went  in  search  of  Agnes  he  found  her 
practicing.  (Why  will  women  always  practice  and 
never  play?) 

"Hello,  Aggie,  strumming  away  with  the  patience 
of  an  angel!    Don't  you  ever  get  tired?" 

"Oh,  Joe,  you've  come  at  last  !  I've  been  so  lone- 
some and  blue.  Aunt  Kate  has  been  keeping  me  on 
a  diet  of  oatmeal  and  scalded  milk.    I'll  be  glad  if 


36 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


the  time  ever  comes  when  I  can  eat  what  I  choose 
and  when  I  choose.    Did  you  get  many  fish?" 

"You  shouldn't  be  blue;  you've  had  company,  I've 
heard.  Yes,  I  got  a  few  fish,  but  none  so  large  prob- 
ably as  the  one  you  caught." 

"I  suppose  you  have  heard  that  Lord  Avon  has 
been  here?"  Agnes  said  timidly. 

"Oh,  yes,  I've  heard  that  long  ago.  Does  his  lord- 
ship perfume  himself  as  copiously  as  he  used  to?  Is 
his  mustache  as  handsome?  Of  course  he  is  just  as 
fond  of  it  as  ever.  Kemarkably  fine  fellow,  isn't 
he?" 

"Yes,  I  suppose  so;  I  didn't  take  particular  no- 
tice." 

"You  had  the  best  chance  in  the  world, it  seems." 

"Well,  I  don't  know  anything  about  it,  anyway. 
But  what  a* cold  you've  caught  sleeping  in  the  tent." 

"Oh,  come  off,  you  can't  fake  any  longer,"  Joe 
said,  drawing  in  his  feelers  and  making  a  straight 
plunge.    "You  are  going  to  marry  that  fellow?" 

"Yes,"  Agnes  answered,  and  began  playing  and 
singing: 

"  Just  as  I  am  without  one  plea." 
"And  just  as  he  is,  I  suppose,  debts  and  all,"  said 
Joe. 

Agnes  made  no  reply  and  Joe's  anger  began  to 
get  the  better  of  his  tact.  "It  would  be  a  monster 
speculation  for  some  one  to  have  a  shipload  of  titles 
imported ;  the  market  would  be  bulled  in  twenty- 
four  hours." 

"It's  none  of  your  affairs  anyway,"  said  Agnes. 
"I'm  not  particular  whom  I  marry.  I'd  just  as  soon 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


37 


live  in  England  as  in  America;  women  can't  vote 
here  any  more  than  they  can  there,  nor  hold  office." 

"Of  course  not,"  retorted  Joe.  "She's  not  capa- 
ble of  wielding  the  ballot  or  holding  office.  She  would 
hop  up  out  of  the  Senate  and  rush  off  to  England  the 
first  time  a  curly  headed  milksop,  like  Lord  Avon, 
came  over  here  and  said,  'Come  to  my  arms.'" 

"Now  you  just  shut  up,  Joe  Easton.  I'll  tell  papa 
on  you.  It's  a  pity  you  can't  refrain  from  teasing 
me  when  you've  been  away  for  three  weeks  and  I've 
been  at  home  on  oatmeal  and  scalded  milk." 

"It's  a  little  tough  on  you,  I  know,  but  I  wouldn't 
submit  to  oatmeal  and  milk;  and  I  wouldn't  have 
obliged  the  Englishman  when  it  hasn't  been  three 
years  since  a  nice  fellow  like  George  Sanderson  was 
sent  about  his  business." 

"But  we  were  both  so  young,  and  besides,  he 
drank. " 

"Well,  pardon  me  if  I  say  that  you  were  as  large 
then  as  now  and  had  better  sense.  Drank,  did  he? 
Well,  about  the  first  time  your  Englishman  comes 
home  on  a  lordly  drunk,  you'll  think  a  plain  Amer- 
ican jag  isn't  a  comparison.  And  George  doesn't 
drink  now. " 

"How  do  you  know?"  Agnes  asked  quickly. 

"Well,  I  do  know,"  Joe  said,  as  he  lighted  a  cigar 
and  began  to  puff  away  in  the  most  provoking  man- 
ner. 

"Let's  sing  a  song,  Joe." 

"All  right.    What  shall  it  be?" 

"'After  the  Ball?'" 

"'After  the  Ball!'  No,  something  with  a  little 
sense.  'Over  the  Garden  Wall'  is  pretty." 


88 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"Well,  I  should  like  to  know  which  is  the  softer 
if  you  are  going  to  compare  them,"  Agnes  said  de- 
cidedly. 

"That's  the  truth,  Agnes,  but  'Over  the  Garden 
Wall'  has  a  pretty  tune. .  That  reminds  me  of  a 
little  poem  I  read  a  few  days  ago.  I  cut  it  out;  here 
it  is;  I'll  read  it  to  you. 

THE  QUARTETTE  ANTHEM. 

"  O,  yes,  I  heerd  the  anthem  sung  by  thet  big  church 
quartette; 

My  wife  she  raved  about  it,  but  1  kep' my  own  mouth 
shet ; 

'No  sweeter  song,'  she  said,  '  is  sung  by  angel  lip ;' 
An'  I  sot  still  and  heerd  her  talk,  an'  never  raised  a 

yip 

"  The  absence  of  ideas  was  drowned  in  plenteousness 
of  voice. 

"What  strict  economy  of  words,  an'  extravagance  of 
noise ! 

For  they  were  stingy  of  their  words  an'  generous  of 
their  strains, 

An'  they  were  spendthrifts  of  their  lungs  an'  misers 
of  their  brains. 

"  An'  they  call  this  mighty  music ;  'taint  for  me  to  say 
it's  not ; 

But  I  think  music's  better  when  it's  slightly  mixed 

with  thought ; 
I  think  your  lungs  give  forth  a  more  inspirin'  strain 
If  they  first  have  made  connection  with  the  ingine  of 

y.our  brain." 

"Good  sound  sense  in  that,  Agnes.  I  tell  you  I've 
no  patience  with  this  wordless,  brainless  music  that 
public  singers  affect  to-day.  But  you  may  stay  and 
sing  what  you  choose;  I'm  going  out  in  the  shade 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


39 


to-  go  to  sleep.  Had  a  splendid  time,  but  am  about 
used  up.  Saw  some  old  acquaintances,  but  no  one 
you'd  be  interested  in  now,"  and  with  this  Joe  saun- 
tered away, leaving  poor  Agnes  very  much  disturbed. 
She  left  the  piano  and  went  to  the  window,  then 
back  to  the  piano,  and  to  the  hall,  where  she  stood 
watching  the  receding  form  of  her  brother,  but  feel- 
ing her  loneliness  insufferable,  in  a  few  minutes  fol- 
lowed him. 

"Here,  Joe,  are  some  fine  apples,"  she  said  as  she 
sat  down  on  the  grass  close  by  the  hammock  that 
Joe  was  lounging  in. 

"Yes,  I  believe  I'll  have  a  couple." 

"I  wish  I  could  have  gone  with  you.  Boys  always 
have  a  better  time  than  girls;  they  can  go  every  where 
and  do  every  and  anything." 

"Well,  you  see  girls  ain't  built  that  way." 

"Now,I'll  go  right  in  the  house,  if  you  don't  hush 
talking  so. " 

"Well,  go;  I'm  not  dying  for  your  society." 

"Oh,  Joe;  and  I'm  going  away  to  school  day  after 
to-morrow. " 

"So  soon,  Agnes?"  and  Joe  sat  straight  up. 

"Yes,  school  opens  on  the  seventh,  and  this  is  the 
fifth." 

"I  don't  go  for  ten  days  yet,  and  I  didn't  think  of 
your  going  so  soon.    Talk  away;  I'll  answer." 

"Well,  who  did  you  see  when  you  were  away? 
Frank  Farley?" 

"No." 

"Jaspar  Godwin?" 
"No." 


40 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"Who  then?" 

"George  Sanderson,  for  one." 

Agnes'  heart  beat  strangely,  but  she  tried  to  dis- 
guise her  interest. 

"He  gave  me  his  picture;  would  you  like  to  see 
it?" 

"Yes,  sometime  when  it  won't  bother  you  too 
much." 

"All  right,  sometime  then." 
"Where  does  he  live  now?" 

"Wherever  his  hat's  off.  He's  a  temperance  lec- 
turer. ' ' 

"A  temperance  lecturer!"  Agnes  echoed. 

"Yes.  After  he  left  here  he  drifted  around  for 
a  while, finally  turning  up  at  his  uncle's,  who  sent 
him  away  to  be  treated  for  inebriety  and  then  to 
school  for  a  couple  of  years.  Then  George  entered 
the  lecture  field  and  has  been  lecturing  ever  since. 
He  asked  all  about  you;  if  you  were  married  or  had 
prospects  of  that  sort.  I  wanted  to  bring  him  home 
with  me  and  he  wanted  to  come,  but  he  had  appoint- 
ments for  the  next  three  weeks  and  I  told  him  that 
we  would  both  leave  for  school  inside  of  that  time." 

"Did  you  hear  him  lecture?" 

"No.  He  spoke  the  first  night  we  were  camping. 
We  slept  in  the  tent  but  took  our  meals  at  the  hotel, 
and  while  I  was  eating  breakfast  the  next  morning 
he  came  in."  Joe  watched  Agnes  as  he  talked,  and 
fancied  her  remembrance  of  George  boded  ill  for  the 
Englishman. 

"Well,  I  must  go  in,  Agnes.  I  haven't  unpacked 
my  grip  yet. ' ' 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


41 


"Shan't  I  help  you?"  she  said,  getting  up  as  he 
did. 

"I  don't  need  you  particularly;"  and  then  as  he 
looked  into  the  pretty,  childish  face,  so  troubled  and 
sweet,  his  heart  smote  him. 

••Yes,  come  along.  Maybe  you  can  help  me;  I 
think  there  are  some  buttons  off  that  you  might  fix." 

Agnes  didn't  wait  for  a  second  invitation,  but 
grabbed  hold  of  Joe's  natty  coat  and  walked  along 
by  his  side.  Upon  reaching  the  room  Joe  unlocked 
a  leathern  grip  and  she  began  with  trembling 
ringers  to  take  out  garment  after  garment.  She  saw 
no  picture  and  wanted  to  ask  about  it.  but  couldn't 
bring  herself  to  do  so. 

"Is  this  all,  Joe?"  she  asked.  "Where  do  you 
want  the  buttons?" 

"Here,  on  this  coat — and  here  is  the  picture.  "  He 
tossed  it  on  the  bed,  and  seeing  how  her  face  paled, 
in  kindness  turned  away  and  busied  himself  at  the 
washstand. 

"Let  me  take  the  coat  to  my  room,  Joe;  the  light 
is  better  there  than  here,"  and  with  a  very  sober 
face,  Agnes  sought  her  own  room. 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  Young  Ladies'  Seminary  in  the  town  of  L  

is  a  large  brick  structure.  A  commodious  boarding 
hall  stands  at  its  left  and  both  buildings  are  sur- 
rounded by  a  prettily  arranged  but  somewhat  limited 
campus. 


42 


A  NEW  WOMAN. 


It  is  the  fourteenth  of  September.  The  little,  cau- 
tious matron  was  engaged  in  some  overseeing  of  serv- 
ants, when  she  was  summoned  to  the  reception 
room.  Hastily  smoothing  her  hair,  ruffling  her 
bangs  and  donning  her  professional  countenance, she 
passed  into  the  parlor. 

A  tall  girl  in  a  jaunty  traveling  dress  arose  and  came 
toward  her.  "My  name  is  Helen  Herman, "  the  young 
woman  said  in  an  unabashed,  natural  way,  "and  I 
came  to  see  about  admission  to  the  school." 

"The  school  is  full  and  the  dormitory  nearly  so; 
we  might  make  arrangements  for  one  more.  I  see 
no  reason  why  you  should  not  be  admitted  to  the 
school,  supposing  you  to  be  of  good  character,  of 
course."  Here  the  matron  stopped  as  if  she  had 
asked  a  question  and  she  really  did  expect  some  kind 
of  assurance. 

"I  guess  my  character  is  ordinarily  good, "the 
new-comer  said  with  a  half  sarcastic  smile. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  'ordinarily  good?'"  the 
cautious  little  matron  said,  as  she  stepped  back. 

"Why,  that  I  am  as  good  as  the  ordinary  woman 
of  to-day.  I  have  plenty  of  money  and  consequently 
am  not  tempted  to  steal.  I  have  always  gone  to 
school ;  have  associated  very  little  with  men,  so  I 
suppose  would  not  be  considered  fast." 

"But  have  you  no  letter  from  your  parents  or 
guardian?" 

"My  parents  are  dead.  I  never  had  a  guardian 
except  my  nurse,  who  died  about  two  years  ago ;  there 
are  trustees  who  manage  the  estate;  but  T  am  my 
own  architect;  I  make  and  execute  my  own  laws." 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


43 


"Have  you  any  relatives?    Are  you  utterly  alone 
in  the  world?" 
"Yes." 

"How  sensible  of  you  to  come  here  I  Most  girls 
would  have  rushed  off  to  a  mixed  school  and  placed 
themselves  in  imminent  danger.  So  young  and 
friendless  and  pretty,  too,  I  think,  if  you  had  your 
veil  off." 

"I  am  in  my  twentieth  year. " 

"Yes,  very  young,  as  I  said." 

"I  admit  that  generally  speaking  it  is  young," 
Helen  said  crisply. 

"I  don't  quite  understand." 

"Well, no  matter."  Helen  turned  away  and  looked 
at  some  blooming  plants  on  a  stand  beside  her. 

"I  will  go  and  see  about  a  room  for  you.  Nearly 
all  of  the  rooms  have  two  occupants.  Miss  Easton, 
a  congressman's  daughter,  has  no  one  with  her.  Do 
you  think  that  you  would  like  to  room  with  her;  she 
is  a  very  sweet,  nice  girl?" 

"Yes,  anywhere." 

"I  will  go  at  once. " 

"But  wait.  There  is  a  consideration  that  must  be 
mentioned.  I  see  by  this  catalogue  that  the  students 
are  not  allowed,  to  take  lessons  outside  of  the  semi- 
nary." 

"That  is  one  of  the  rules,  but  I  can  see  no  reason 
why  any  one  should  wish  to  do  so.  We  furnish  the 
best  teachers  in  every  branch — music,  French,  Ger- 
man, Italian,  and  .everything  that  a  finished  lady  re- 
quires. " 

"But  voice  training,  reading,  speaking  and  acting. " 
"We  have  a  good  elocutionist." 


44 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"That  won't  do.  I  mean  some  one  who  teaches  act- 
ing— fits  one  for  the  stage." 

"We  have  no  instruction  of  that  sort;  we  do  not 
turn  out  actresses,  but  educate  and  finish  girls  for 
society." 

"That  is  what  T  thought.  But  within  a  hundred 
miles  of  here  there  is  a  man  who  does  such  work, 
and  I  came  here  thinking  that  I  could  attend  my 
books  through  the  week  and  leave  here  on  Friday 
afternoon  at  three  o'clock,  and  get  there  in  time  to 
take  a  lesson  that  evening.  Then  I  could  easily  take 
two  more  next  day  before  the  return  train." 

"I  don't  think  it  will  be  permitted.  However,  if 
you  desire,  I  will  lay  the  proposition  before  the  fac- 
ulty." 

"Do  so,  please,  and  say  that  if  I  am  not  accorded 
this  privilege  I  will  not  remain." 

The  matron  left  the  room  for  some  moments,  and 
returning, bade  the  new  girl  meet  the  faculty  in  the 
reception  room  immediately  after  dinner. 

Helen  presented  herself  at  the  appointed  time  be- 
fore a  staff  that  consisted  of  a  dozen  women  of  va- 
rious types  and  ages.  She  sat  down  in  the  nearest 
chair  and  waited  to  be  questioned.  With  hat,  veil 
and  ulster  removed,  she  presented  a  striking  picture. 
She  was  tall,  athletic,  with  a  fine  forehead,  large 
expressive  gray  eyes,  a  straight  nose  and  mouth,  not 
of  the  rosebud  sort,  but  indicative  of  a  strong  char- 
acter. Her  complexion,  too,  was  one  that  no  amount 
of  bicycle  riding  could  render  less  delicate  and  bloom- 
ing. She  was  not  pretty,  nor  yet  beautiful,  but  she 
excited    admiration.      The    monotony     of  life 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


45 


seemed  broken  when  in  the  presence  of  this 
thoughtful,  original  girl;  and  it  seemed  impossible, 
ridiculous,  to  urge  conformity  on  one  so  independ- 
ent and  irrepressible. 

"We  understand,  Miss  Herman,  that  you  are  de- 
sirous of  entering  our   school,  but  conditionally. 

You  wish  to  be  permitted  to  go  to  M  for  lessons 

in  histrionism. " 

"Yes." 

"It  is  against  the  rules. "  The  principal,  a  mas- 
culine looking  woman,  acted  as  spokesman,  and  as 
she  said  this  she  removed  her  glasses  and  looked  in- 
tently at  Helen. 

"Yes,  I  was  so  informed  by  the  matron,  but  that 
is  the  only  condition  upon  which  I  will  enter  this  or 
any  other  school.  I  want  to  take  the  regular  course, 
but  I  also  expect  to  take  training  in  my  special  line. " 

"Is  it  your  intention  to  choose  the  stage  as  your 
regular  profession?" 

"I  have  already  done  so." 

"From  necessity  or  choice." 

"From  choice." 

"I  do  not  approve  of  your  ambition,  but — don't 
you  think  you  might  be  persuaded  to  abandon  your 
intention?" 

"I  am  very  sure  that  I  cannot  be  persuaded  to  give 
up  something  I  want — something  there  is  no  plausi- 
ble reason  for  giving  up." 

"How  old  are  you?" 

"I'll  be  twenty  my  next  birthday."  Helen  an- 
swered all  questions  respectfully, yet  with  an  under- 
tone of    quiet  determination.    The  sharp-faced, 


46 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


masculine  woman  saw  it  useless  to  argue  further,  and 
for  a  moment  was  carried  back  to  the  days  of  her  own 
youth, when  she  too  had  cherished  ambitions.  "Life 
has  just  so  many  storms,  anyway,"  she  thought. 
"Why  cramp  the  bud  that  is  trying  to  open;  why  not 
let  it  blossom  and  rear  its  head  if  it  will,  just  as 
we  allow  a  quiet,  modest  one  to  droop  and  cling?" 
Then  she  spoke.  "Well,  Miss  Herman,  I  have  noth- 
ing further  to  say.  I  think  if  the  faculty  will 
express  itself,  we  may  come  to  an  understanding. " 
So  saying,  she  turned  to  the  long  row;  but  nothing 
was  offered.  Miss  Vance  was  their  oracle, and  things 
went  as  she  said. 

"Has  any  one  anything  to  say?"  she  asked. 

"I  think  if  our  principal  agrees  to  the  young  lady's 
proposition,  we  have  no  objections  to  offer,"  some 
one  in  the  row  replied. 

So  that  was  settled  and  the  room  question,  too, 
and  the  new  pupil  was  shown  quarters  with  Agnes 
Easton,  our  congressman's  daughter. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

The  matron  escorted  Helen  to  her  room.  "Miss 
Herman,  this  is  your  room-mate,  Miss  Easton,"  and 
Helen,  who  gloried  in  health  and  spirits,  saw  before 
her,  half  reclining  in  a  chair,  the  small,  fragile  form 
of  Agnes,  with  her  fair  hair  falling  in  soft  masses 
about  her  sweet  face,  her  head  bound  in  a  white 
cloth  which  she  constantly  wet  from  a  bowl  of  ice- 
water. 

"Poor  child,  does  your  head  still  ache?"  the  ma- 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


47 


tron  asked  kindly,  then  turning  to  Helen  said:  "Miss 
Easton  is  subject  to  nervous  headache  and  at  such 
times  cannot  endure  noise." 

Now,  to  Helen,  this  fair  girl,  suffering  with  the 
headache,  looked  almost  contemptible,  and  a  smile 
indicative  of  this  feeling  unconsciously  settled  upon 
her  face,  which  made  the  timid  Agnes  think  her  re- 
pulsive. 

"Certainly,  I  shall  be  as  quiet  as  possible,  since 
Miss  Easton  is  kind  enough  to  share  her  room  with 
a  stranger,  but  I  am  so  strong  and  healthy  myself 
that  I  haven't  much  patience  with  people  who  are 
afflicted  with  headaches  and  hysterical  attacks." 

The  matron  stared  at  her  in  undisguised  astonish- 
ment, too  astounded  to  speak.  Helen  stepped  into 
the  hall,  took  hold  of  her  large  Saratoga  trunk,  and 
with  scarcely  an  effort  dragged  it  into  the  room  and 
proceeded  to  unstrap  it. 

"We  keep  a  man  for  such  work,  and  I  will  send 
him  up  if  you  will  wait  a  minute,"  said  the  matron. 

"I  am  my  own  man,"  Helen  said,  smiling,  as  she 
grasped  the  second  strap  firmly  with  her  white, 
shapely,  but  strong  hands  and  unbuckled  it  quickly. 
"But  my  wheel  is  at  the  station  and  I  would  like  to 
have  it  brought,  or  be  allowed  to  go  for  it.  What 
hours  do  we  have  for  recreation?" 

"We  have  forty  minutes  in  the  morning  in  the 
gymnasium  and  an  hour  after  supper  to  walk  or 
ride.  You  may  go  for  your  bicycle;  a  number  of  the 
girls  have  them  and  others  are  going  to  get  them," 
the  matron  replied  and  then  left  the  room. 

Agnes  sat  watching  this  independent,  and  to  her, 


48 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


almost  miraculous  young  woman,  unpacking  her 
trunk,  but  no  words  were  spoken.  Helen  was  not  so 
indifferent  as  she  seemed,  for  occasionally  she  cast 
sly  glances  at  the  big  chair  and  was  secretly  forming 
an  estimate  of  its  occupant,  mentally  soliloquizing. 

"What  does  she  read,  what  does  she  talk  about?  I 
wonder  if  she  is  bright  and  interesting  or  as  soft  and 
insipid  as  she  looks — a  figure-head  at  home,  at 
school,  and  in  society.  I  shan't  like  her,  I  know; 
such  a  face  is  well  enough  on  a  girl  baby,  but  not  on 
a  girl  of  seventeen  or  eighteen,  especially  in  this  day 
and  age,  when  women  are  taking  their  stand  shoulder 
to  shoulder  with  men,  mentally  and  physically;  be- 
sides, she  has  nervous  headache,  and  I  can't  endure 
nervous  people.  Such  as  she,  are  of  no  consequence 
in  this  world,  or  the  next  either,  for  that  matter." 

And  Agnes,  though  awestruck,  was  anything  but 
pleased  with  the  prospects  of  association  with  such  a 
creature.  But  they  were  both  women  and  young,  and 
propinquity  means  more  than  affinity  nine  times  out 
often;  so  they  gradually  grew  friendly  enough  to 
talk,  though  in  a  cold,  indifferent  way. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

One  evening,  a  few  weeks  later,  Helen  and  Agnes 
had  entered,  with  more  warmth  than  usual,  into  their 
conversation. 

"I  tell  you,"  Helen  said,"  that  I  have  a  supreme 
contempt  for  three-fourths  of  the  women.  I  don't 
say  so  before  men,  but  I  do  believe  it's  the  truth  that 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


49 


men  have  better  sense  than  women.  Women  are 
always  running  after  style,  and  the  more  disgusting 
it  is,  the  better  they  like  it.  One  season  it  is  big 
hats  and  the  next  but  the  barest  suggestion  of  head- 
gear; one  year  it's  voluminous  sleeves  and  the  next 
they're  tight  as  the  skin.  We  drag  our  skirts  in  the 
mud,  daub  our  faces,  pencil  our  eyebrows,  and  color 
our  lips.  We  say  limb  when  we  mean  leg;  we  try  to 
look  indignant  when  a  man  has  addressed  us  in  an 
offensive  manner.  Bah!  I  despise  the  weakness 
of  my  sex.  I  despise  the  woman  who  brings  suit  for 
a  breach  of  promise  and  admits  she  has  been  whee- 
dled out  of  her  virtue,  as  the  world  chooses  to  call  it  ; 
but  one  thing  sure,  it  is  something  she  surrenders 
willingly  and  without  question  to  the  first  invader." 

"And  I  think  we  ought  not  to  lay  so  much  stress 
on  these  surface  faults;  we  ought  to  look  deeper  for 
the  spring  that  flows  from  the  heart.  These  faults 
that  you  mention  are  only  weaknesses  of  the  human 
nature;  it  is  only  the  poor  blighted  flower  that  tries 
to  look  as  beautiful  as  its  neighbor.  It  is  natural 
for  women  to  desire  beauty,  and  it  is  right.  We  don't 
like  a  careless,  slatternly  woman  who  pays  no  atten- 
tion to  her  dress  or  hair,  or  any  one  who  outrages  all 
the  laws  of  society  and  embarrasses  eveiwbody  with 
her  eccentricities.  Why  don't  you  wear  the  old  short- 
waisted,  flowing-sleeve  dresses;  why  don't  you  let 
your  hair  hang  down  your  back  in  curls  and  wear 
shaker  bonnets?" 

"Why,  such  a  dress  would  be  neither  pretty  nor 
sensible. " 

"Certainly  not,  nor  does  your  fair  face  need  pow- 


50 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


der,  nor  your  hair  the  curling  iron.  And  did  it  ever 
occur  to  you  that  you  wear  your  hair  in  just  the  way 
it  is  most  becoming,  and  that  your  dresses,  a  trifle 
short,  display  a  neat  arched  foot  and  a  well  turned 
ankle?" 

"Just  exactly!  you  are  no  more  charitable  than  I 
am.  Because  my  dresses  are  short  for  convenience, 
you  say  it  is  to  show  a  good  foot;  if  I  wore  them 
long  enough  to  sweep  the  ground  you  would  say  that 
I  wanted  to  hide  an  ugly  foot." 

"No,  I  didn't  say  that  either;  but,  candidly,  if 
you  had  big,  ugly  feet  and  awkward  ankles,  would 
you  wear  your  skirts  so  short?" 

Helen  stammered  and  blushed  at  this  good-natured 
but  pointed  question. 

"I  am  sure  I  don't  know, "  she  finally  said.  "I 
don't  see  why  any  woman  should  have  ugly  feet  if 
she  wears  neat-fitting  shoes,  neither  too  large  nor 
too  small.  I  think  women  are  running  big  shoes  as 
much  to  the  extreme  as  they  ever  did  the  small 
ones. " 

"Well,  Miss  Herman,  I  know  this:  that  we  can 
see  the  mote  in  our  neighbor's  eye  when  we  can't  see 
the  beam  in  our  own.  Don't  tell  me  that  you  are 
utterly  indifferent  to  the  beauty  and  brilliancy  of 
your  eyes,  or  the  curl  of  that  mobile  lip — now,  just 
now,"  said  Agnes,  catching  a  hand  mirror  from  the 
dresser  and  holding  it  up  to  Helen's  face,  "nor  of 
your  hair  that  scorns  the  curling  iron." 

"But  why  don't  women  pay  more  attention  to 
their  mental  faculties  and  depend  more  upon  the  im- 
pression made  by  the  mind  instead  of  that  made  by 
the  dress  and  face?" 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


51 


"Why,  there  has  never  been  a  time  when  women 
read  and  thought  and  studied  as  they  do  to-day." 

"I  know  that,  and  I  know,  too,  that  there  has 
never  been  a  time  when  women  affected  so  much 
as  they  do  to-day.  We  are  not  natural;  we  only 
affect  to  be  natural.  We  don't  laugh;  we  only  sim- 
per and  giggle. " 

"And  aren't  you  disgusted  with  the  woman  whose 
laugh  is  loud  and  coarse,  and  who  pitches  her  voice 
way  up  in  G  for  common  conversation?" 

"Isn't  that  affectation;  isn't  the  loud,  coarse  laugh 
affected  often?" 

"I  think  a  loud  voice  is  very  natural  with  some 
people. " 

"Not  with  well-bred  people,"  Helen  said. 
"So  then  you  admit  that  people  need  a  little  cult- 
ure?" 

"Oh,  let  up."  Helen  saw  that  she  was  partly  van- 
quished and  her  astonishment  was  unbounded;  this 
shy,  quiet  girl  had  a  few  ideas,  whether  her  face  in- 
dicated it  or  not.  "Of  course.  I  suppose  nearly  all 
of  us  need  training;  but  oughtn't  the  pine  grow 
straight  without  being  propped.  The  bird  flies 
straight  without  lessons;  so  should  man  or  woman 
grow  honorable,  pare  and  noble  without  training." 

Agnes  was  trying  to  think  of  an  answer,  when 
there  was  a  knock  at  the  door  and  a  letter  was  handed 
in  for  her.  She  looked  at  the  address  and  knew 
it  was  not  from  home;  she  looked  at  the  postmark, 
that,  too,  was  strange;  and  wondering  who  in  the 
world  it  was  from,  opened  it  and  read; 


52 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"Ever  Remembered  Friend: — 

"I  suspected  that  our  correspondence  was  broken  off 
by  others  than  yourself,  and  Joe's  conversation  ver- 
ified rny  belief.  Of  course  he  has  told  you  something 
of  our  meeting  and  probably  something  of  our  talk 
and  what  I  am  now  doing:  Although  I  had  but  a 
short  talk  with  him,  I  learned  that  you  were  still 
'heart-whole  and  fancy  free, '  and  I  believe  he  would 
still  be  our  friend  and  confidant. 

"Dear  little  Agnes,  I  have  thought  of  nothing  else 
these  three  weeks  but  a  renewal  of  the  relation  we 
once  sustained.  We  were  young  then  and  perhaps 
a  little  foolish,  but  our  love  was  sincere;  and  I  would 
give  worlds  to  know  myself  still  the  object  of  your 
love. 

"I  will  be  without  appointments  a  few  days  next 
week  and  will  take  the  liberty  to  come  to  see  you, 
when  I  hope  to  be  given,  if  not  an  assurance  of  your 
love,  at  least  your  consent  to  my  winning  it. 

"As  ever,  Geo.  Sanderson." 

While  Agnes  was  reading,  Helen  was  doing  some 
troubled  thinking.  Was  it  true,  as  Agnes  had  said, 
that  her  indifference  to  personal  beauty  and  attract- 
ive power  was  simply  because  she  possessed  such 
without  thought  or  effort?  Her  very  unconsciousness 
grew  out  of  an  inborn  consciousness.  She  needed  not 
to  pick  her  words  or  guard  her  acts;  she  could  rush 
boldly  in  and  conquer  without  a  thought.  She  had 
been  elected  president  of  the  girls'  society  by  a  unan- 
imous vote  and  could  dictate  among  the  girls  with- 
out question.  "It's  magnetism,"  she  said  to  herself, 
"it's  magnetism;  I  always  believed  in  magnetism. 
I  always  knew  I  could  act  in  almost  any  society  un- 
questioned. It's  not  beauty,  for  Cleonice  Dupont  is 
better  looking  than  I,  and  the  girls  don't  like  her 


NEW  WOMAN 


53 


and  she  doesn't  like  them,  but  she  likes  me."  Here 
she  looked  up,  and  seeing  Agnes  in  tear.-?,  kindly  left 
the  room. 

She  walked  out  on  the"  broad  stone  walk  and  on, 
and  on;  she  would  go  on.  walking  anywhere  to  be 
alone  to  think.  Again  and  again  she  stopped  in 
doubt  and  perplexity;  she  felt  almost  disgusted  with 
herself.  Could  it  be  that  she  was  selfish,  careless  of 
other  people's  feelings?  No,  she  knew  better;  she, 
with  her  high  resolves  and  noble  ideas;  she  was  only 
schooling  herself  for  a  more  useful  position,  a  higher 
place  than  chairman  of  a  girls'  society. 

The  sun  sank  and  still  she  strolled  on  with  eyes 
staring  far. far  away, and  mind  and  heart  still  farther 
away.  This  strange  girl,  who  was  only  nineteen 
years  old, but  truly  and  honestly  wanted  to  be  thirty 
or  more,  not  because  she  wanted  to  look  old,  or 
feel  old,  but  that  she  might  know  more;  she  had 
crowded  all  the  knowledge  possible  into  her  brief 
life  and  was  still  thirsting  for  more. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Helen  had  been  in  school  about  three  weeks  when 
it  came  her  turn  to  conduct  morning  devotionals. 
She  declined  in  a  very  quiet  but  determined  manner 

Instantly  every  eye  was  upon  her.  Some  looked 
placidly  indifferent;  others,  shocked;  poor  Agnes 
embarrassed,  but  a  dark,  handsome  girl  across  the 
aisle  smiled  her  approval. 


54 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


The  difficulty  was  overcome  immediately  by  the 
next  girl  in  the  order  of  rotation  being  called.  She 
responded  promptly  and  prayed  for  those  who  were 
lukewarm,  those  who  were  timid  and  thoughtless, 
and  those  who  were  out  of  the  fold.  She  made  a 
very  nice  prayer;  that  is,  she  chose  nice  words;  her 
tone  was  neither  too  loud  nor  too  soft;  she  kept 
them  kneeling  just  the  proper  length  of  time.  All 
except  Helen  and  Cleonice  Dupont  rose  feeling  sat- 
isfied with  themselves,  comforted  by  the  knowledge 
that  a  Christian  duty  had  been  performed.  The  row 
of  bowed  heads  disgusted  Helen,  and  to  think  that 
she  was  conforming  in  even  the  matter  of  attitude 
made  her  feel  herself  the  most  contemptible  of  all. 

That  evening  Agnes  embraced  the  very  first  op- 
portunity to  ask  Helen's  reason  for  her  strange  act. 

"Why,  I  think  it  was  said  much  better  than  I 
could  have  done. " 

"That  is  neither  here  nor  there.  All  of  the  girls 
lead  when  their  turn  comes  and  it  was  your  turn." 

"Well,  I  don't  believe  in  praying  by  turns  any 
more  than  I  believe  in  bathing  by  turns ;  suppose  I 
bathe  to-day  and  you  to-morrow  and  Cleonice  the 
next  day  and  so  on." 

"That  is  quite  a  different  thing." 

"But  praying  by  turns  and  at  stated  times  is  quite 
as  ridiculous  to  me.  Pretty  soon  we'll  have  nickel- 
in-the-slot  prayers." 

"I'm  shocked." 

"So  am  I,"  Helen  answered  provokingly. 

"I  mean,  I  am  shocked  at  you." 

"And  I'm  shocked  at  other  people;  the  lack  of  sin- 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


55 


cerity  in  everything.  Pray  with  the  mouth,  bow  the 
knee  as  the  clock  ticks  out  the  regular  time  for  do- 
ing so.  You  can't  understand  how  I  look  upon  it 
or  how  I  feel  toward  such  form  and  system  in  relig- 
ion. " 

"But  custom  has  made  some  things. 

"Custom  hasn't  made  me,  thank  heaven."' 

"But  don't  you  believe  in  prayer?"  Agnes  asked  in 
despair. 

"Not  those  that  are  premeditated  and  seasoned  to 
the  taste,  and  then  at  the  right  moment  allowed  to 
glide  slowly  and  prettily  over  the  lips." 

"Suppose  some  evening  in  the  society,  you  told 
those,  and  only  those  who  had  prayer  in  their  hearts, 
to  kneel  and  pray  quietly  at  their  chairs,  how  many 
do  you  suppose  would  do  so,  even  if  some  were  in 
the  mood  to  pray?" 

"None  probably. " 

"Then  if  people  won't  pray  when  they  do  feel  like 
it,  is  it  worse  to  do  so  when  they  don't  feel  like  it 
than  to  abstain  altogether?" 

"You  forget  that  we  can  pray  without  kneeling; 
the  Lord  has  commanded  us  to  pray  in  our  closets, 
that  is,  in  secret,  and  not  to  sound  a  trumpet  before 
us  when  we  do  alms,  and  a  number  of  other  things 
that  we  don't  care  to  heed.-' 

"And  He  also  said.  'He  that  is  without  sin  cast 
the  first  stone. ;  I  think  about  people  as  the  sculp- 
tor did  about  the  piece  of  marble,  that  there  was  an 
angel  in  it.  I  think  we  all  have  our  angel  side,  even 
you.  Helen,  who  try  to  do  everything  unnaturally 
or  in  an  odd  way.  You  are  the  queerest  girl,  Miss 
Herman.    What  does  make  you  so?" 


56 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"Well,  you  see  I  was  'brought  up  by  hand. '  I  have 
been  an  orphan  since  I  was  a  year  old ;  I  always  had 
my  own  way,  pretty  much,  both  at  home  and  at 
school.  You  see,  you've  been  dieted  and  trained  up 
while  I,  like  Topsy,  have  'just  growed' ;  consequently 
I  am  strong  and  healthy  and  spirited.  I  would  just 
defy  any  man  of  my  size  to  endure  more  than  I.  But 
you  have  a  lame  back  and  a  head  not  much  better. " 

"No,  Miss  Herman,  there  is  just  no  use  talking; 
you  are  naturally  stronger.  I  wouldn't  dare  do  such 
things  as  you  do.  Why,  it  would  give  me  a  fearful 
cold  to  sleep  in  a  draught,  and  the  way  you  get  your 
feet  wet  would  just  kill  me,  I  know  it  would.  I  have 
the  headache  an  awful  lot,  oftener  than  I  used  to; 
I  don't  think  I'm  as  strong  as  I  was  once,"  Agnes 
said  wearily,  taking  a  pillow  from  the  bed  and  put- 
ting it  behind  her  head.  Then  she  opened  a  text- 
book and  began  studying. 

Helen  stood  watching  her  a  moment  and  then 
turned  and  left  the  room. 

A  few  moments  later  she  knocked  at  a  door  across 
the  hall,  which  was  immediately  opened  by  Cleonice 
Dupont,  a  tall,  handsome,  but  fierce  looking  woman. 
"Oh,  Miss  Herman,  I  am  so  glad  to  see  you;  my 
room-mate  is  calling  and  I  am  alone.  I  have  been 
trying  all  day  to  get  a  chance  to  tell  you  how  glad 
I  am  to  see  one  girl  anywhere  who  has  the"  nerve  to 
be  independent;  it  does  take  nerve,  I  know.  I 
couldn't  do  what  you  did,  but  I  just  wanted  to  say 
'amen'  when  you  said  so  politely,  'I  beg  to  be  ex- 
cused.' I  liked  you  the  moment  I  saw  you;  so  mag- 
nificently independent.  I  can  guess  your  politics,  I 
warrant." 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


57 


"Well,  try." 

"You  are  an  anarchist." 

"Why,  anarchists  are  not  politicians.  They  argue 
with  revolver  and  dynamite  instead  of  brains.  No, 
I'm  not  an  anarchist." 

"Well,  you  are  a  Populist;  that's  the  next  thing. " 

"Populist  or  Democrat,  it's  all  the  same;  they  ad- 
vocate the  same  principles." 

"Well, Democrat, Populist  or  anarchist;  I  like  you 
and  always  have  since  I  have  known  you,  and  you 
have  arisen  greatly  in  my  estimation  since  morning. 
We  pray  the  good  Lord  to  continue  to  bless  us,  when 
He  never  has  blessed  us,and  thank  Him  for  blessings 
we  have  never  received;  thank  Him  because  it  has 
not  been  His  pleasure  to  cast  us  into  hell,  as  Holy 
Willy  says." 

Helen  felt  a  little  shocked  at  this  woman's  bitter 
denunciation  of  prayer  and  things  sacred. 

"Well,  MissDupont,  I  don't  agree  with  you,  either. 
I  do  pray.  It  is  this  formal  praying,  this  systematic 
way  of  worshiping  God  that  I  object  to,  for  the  reas- 
on that  it  seems  sacrilegious  to  me.  If  we  are  in 
trouble  it  isn't  necessary  for  us  to  be  told  to  pray. 
Why,  we  pray  naturally,  just  as  we  drink  wrater  when 
we  are  thirsty.  Then  if  we  are  happy,  overjoyed, 
don't  we  say,  'Thank  Heaven;'  don't  we  feel  kindly 
toward  everybody;  do  not  our  glad  hearts  and 
smiling  faces  thank  God?  It  is  done  silently  as 
the  parched  and  withering  flowers  manifest  their 
gratitude  for  the  rain.  You  know  we  shall  not  be 
heard  for  much  speaking." 

"Then  do  you  believe  in  the  Bible?"  Cleonice 
asked. 


58 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"Yes,  don't  you?" 

"Why,  no,  I  can't  believe  it;  it  is  just  one  con- 
tradiction after  another." 

"Well,  I've  had  to  study  it  a  good  deal  and  do  so 
yet;  and  lots  of  things  that  were  impossible  for  me 
to  understand  at  first,  are  clear  to-day." 

"Then  how  is  it  that  they  hold  great  revivals  and 
try  to  convert  people  who  know  little  or  nothing 
about  the  Bible,  little  children,  for  instance,  and 
fill  up  their  churches  with  the  ignorant  as  well  as 
the  wise?" 

"That  has  been  a  mystery  to  me  always;  but  I 
have  known  people  who  have  declared  that  their  con- 
version had  been  instantaneous.  It  wasn't  so  with 
me;  I  had  to  satisfy  my  reason  first.  I  don't  know 
when  I  was  converted,  when  it  commenced  and 
where  it  left  off.  I  only  know  that  five  years  ago  I 
didn't  look  upon  things  as  I  do  now,  and  hadn't  the 
faith  I  now  have.  And  I  suppose  I'll  grow  stronger 
in  faith  as  I  grow  older,  at  least,  I  hope  so." 

"Well,  we  are  all  accorded  the  privilege  of  believ- 
ing as  we  want  to,  or  rather,  as  we  must,  for  the  will 
has  nothing  to  do  with  it.  I  can't  make  the  Bible 
agree  with  me,  and  I  can't  possibly  agree  with  it,  so 
I  let  it  alone  entirely.  But  we  won't  quarrel  over 
trivial  matters.  Let's  drink  to  good  fellowship  and 
mutual  disagreement."  So  saying, Cleonice  went  to 
the  drawer  and  came  back  with  a  bottle  of  wine  and 
two  glasses. 

"You  must  excuse  me,  Miss  Dupont,  but  I  don't 
drink  wine. " 
"What!" 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


59 


"I  don't  drink  wine,"  Helen  repeated 

"You  don't?  All  right  Ihen,  I  shall  only  have 
the  more  for  myself,"  Cleonice  said  good-naturedly, 
and  proceeded  to  empty  a  glass  at  one  draught.  uEut 
I  confess  that  I  am  surprised. " 

Helen  frowned.    "Why  are  you  surprised?" 

"I  can  hardly  explain,  but  from  your  looks  and 
actions,  I  supposed  that  you  had  too  much  nerve  to 
hesitate  to  do  things  that  nice,  moral  people  might  con- 
demn; that  is,  I  thought  you  were  not  afraid  to  do 
things  that  look  questionable." 

"Miss  Dupont,  you  don't  understand  me  at  all!" 
Helen  said  decidedly.  "I  might  do  things  that  look 
questionable,  but  I  don't  do  things  that  are  ques- 
tionable.   You  don't  understand  me." 

"Well,  I'm  beginning  to.  You  are  much  better 
than  you  would  have  people  believe.  I  can  hardly 
understand,  though,  how  you  came  to  be  elected  pres- 
ident of  the  society.  Anna  Boyd  hated  to  give  it 
up  and  a  dozen  of  the  other  girls  wanted  it.  Some- 
how you  seem  to  command  in  some  indescribable 
way;  you  wanted  to  be  elected  and  you  were.  The 
girls  and  even  the  faculty  all  admire  you  and  listen 
to  you,  and  yet  none  of  them  are  very  fond  of  you. 
No  girl  ever  throws  her  arm  around  you  and  whispers 
a  secret  to  you;  that  isn't  the  way  you  excite  regard; 
you  command  respect  rather  than  affection.  What 
a  politician  you  would  make  if  you  were  a  man  I 
Don't  you  wish  you  were?  And  what  a  fine  looking 
man  you  would  make!  your  features  are  just  a  little 
too  pronounced  for  a  beautiful  woman,  as  you  would 
undoubtedly  be  called  in  society." 


60 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"Why,  it  is  supper  time,"  Helen  said,  looking  at 
her  watch.  "I  must  go  to  my  room,"  and  as  she 
went  she  kept  saying  to  herself,  "Respect,  rather 
than  affection;  that  is  what  I  want,  of  course  it  is. 
I  don't  want  love.  I  wouldn't  be  a  success  if  people 
loved  me ;  it  would  make  me  weak  and  I  should  fail. 
I  must  be  admired  for  my  unyielding  principles  and 
.noble  aspirations,  not  for  any  pretty  frivolous  ways. 
My  beauty  is  masculine,  thank  heaven,  it  is!"  and 
repeating  "Spartacus  to  the  Gladiators, "  she  tripped 
lightly  to  her  room,  brushed  her  hair  back  from  her 
fine  forehead  in  a  masculine  fashion,  and  hurried 
down  to  supper. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

When  it  came  Agnes'  tarn  to  lead  in  morning  ex- 
ercises, she  selected  a  portion  of  the  seventh  chapter 
of  Matthew. 

"'Judge  not  that  ye  be  not  judged. 

"'For  with  what  judgment  ye  judge,  ye  shall  be 
judged:  and  with  what  measure  ye  mete  it  shall  be 
measured  to  you  again. 

"'And  why  beholdest  thou  the  mote  that  is  in  thy 
brother's  eye,  but  considerest  not  the  beam  that  is 
in  thine  own  eye? 

"'Or  how  wilt  thou  say  to  thy  brother,  "Let  me 
pull  out  the  mote  out  of  thine  eye;"  and  behold  a 
beam  is  in  thine  own  eye. 

"'Thou  hypocrite;  first  cast  out  the  beam  out  of 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


61 


thine  own  eye;  and  then  thou  shalt  see  ciearly  to 
cast  out  the  mote  out  of  thy  brother's  eye.'" 

As  they  knelt,  Cleonice  cast  a  significant  glance  at 
Helen,  but  it  was  lost.  Helen's  head  had  been  bowed 
during  the  reading;  the  words,  which  in  someway 
took  on  a  new  meaning  under  Agnes'  reading,  in- 
duced the  same. state  of  mind  that  her  friend's  ques- 
tions frequently  did. 

As  they  passed  out  Helen  heard  a  wicked  voice — 
"Now  there  is  work  for  us;  we  must  fish  for  the 
beams.  Maybe  that  is  what  ailed  me  all  my  life 
and — "  .Here  Helen, with  a  dark  frown,  turned  ab- 
ruptly into  a  class  room. 

That  evening  upon  returning  from  a  walk,  Helen 
found  Agnes  sitting  with  a  book  in  her  lap,  gazing 
vacantly  out  of  the  window. 

"What  are  you  reading?"  she  asked. 

"I  have  just  finished  'The  Last  of  the  Barons,'  by 
Lord  Lytton." 

"Sir  Edward  Bulwer  Lytton,  you  mean.  There 
has  been  any  quantity  of  Lord  Lyttons,  and  several 
authors  among  them;  but  the  series  in  the  library 
are  the  works  of  Sir  Edward  Bulwer  Lytton.  What 
a  man  he  was,  if  he  did  happen  to  be  an  Englishman ! 
Isn't  that  perfectly  splendid?" 

"Yes,  I  like  it  tolerably  well.  This  is  the  first 
time  I've  read  it  and  it's  the  only  one  of  his  that 
I've  read. " 

"It  is?  Why, I've  read  them  all.  I  read  that  when 
I  was  only  fifteen  years  old.  I've  read  all  of  Scott's, 
and  all  of  Dickens',  and  all  of  George  Elliot's  and 
all  of  Thackeray's,  and  all  of  Lew  Wallace's,  up  to 


62 


A  NEW  WWMAN 


date,  and  Hypatia — that's  all  of  Kingsley's  I've  read." 

Helen  paused,  quite  out  of  breath. 

••Well,  you've  read  everything.  I  don't  expect  to 
read  as  much  while  I  live  as  you  have  read  already." 

"No,  I  haven't  read  one-tenth — um— one-hun- 
dredth as  much  as  I  expect  to,  only  I  wish  I'd  not 
read  all  of  those  wonderful  works  of  fiction." 

"Why?" 

"Because  there's  nothing  left  of  this  wonderful 
line  to  read.  Yes,  we've  still  Lew  Wallace,  but  what 
it  takes  him  years  to  write,  we  can  read  in  a  few 
days. ? ' 

"You're  a  sort  of  Alexander." 

"Oh,  there's  plenty  of  literature  of  other  kinds — 
history,  philosophy  and  scientific  works.  But  Sir 
Edward  Bulwer  Lytton  was  a  historian,  philosopher, 
and  novelist  combined;  there's  more  philosophy  than 
romance  in  some  of  his  works." 

"And  what  do  you  think  of  this  one?" 

"I  think  it  his  strongest,  though  I  believe  the  crit- 
ics pronounce  'What  Will  He  Do  With  It?'  the 
best," 

"What  character  did  you  like  best?" 

"I  admired  the  Earl  of  Warwick  most,  but  was 
more  interested  in  old  man  Warner  and  Dick  Al- 
wyn. " 

-Why,  I  thought  Lord  Hastings  was  the  hero." 
"He  was,  of  the  romance.  I  liked  him  for  a  while, 
but  I  despised  him  in  the  end." 

"Why?"  asked  Agnes  with  pretended  indifference, 
still  looking  out  of  the  window. 

"Why?    Because  he  deceived  Sybil.    I  didn't 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


63 


admire  her  style,  but  he  should  have  done  as  he 
promised,  even  if  he  did  find  another  woman  more 
to  his  fancy. " 

"It  is  wrong,  then,  to  betray — " 

"It  is  the  meanest  thing  on  earth.  I  wouldn't 
betray  the  devil  if  he  trusted  me." 

Agnes  did  not  reply,  but  turned  her  face  from 
Helen  and  sighed  deeply.  Just  then  some  one  rapped, 
and  it  proved  to  be  the  matron  with  a  card  for 
Agnes.  "There  is  a  young  gentleman  in  the  parlor 
to  see  you,"  she  said.  "He  says  he  is  an  old  friend 
of  your  family — that  he  used  to  work  for  your  father. 
You  know,  MissEaston,  that  the  rules  forbid  a  young 
lady  from  receiving  visits  from  a  young  gentleman, 
unless  they  are  engaged.    Are  you  and — " 

"No, "  Agnes  faltered,  catching  hold  of  the  back 
of  a  chair  for  support. 

"He  didn't  state  in  what  capacity  he  served  in 
your  father's  household.    Now,  was  he  coachman?" 

"Oh,  no,  he  was  papa's  confidential — " 

"You  see  we  can't  be  too  careful.  You  say  you're 
not  engaged?"  Here  Helen  in  half  pity  for  the  em- 
barrassed Agnes,  disgusted  with  such  inquisitorial 
proceedings,  interposed: 

"Miss  Scott,  you  are  not  exactly  fair  with  Miss 
Easton.  She  is  not  engaged  to  the  man  at  present, 
but  you  see  she  might  be  before  she  leaves  him.  You 
don't  prohibit  the  students  from  becoming  engaged, 
do  you?" 

"Oh,  no,  certainly,  but  we  must  be  careful.  You 
know  engagements  might  be  entered  into  which 
would  not  be  agreeable  to  the  parents.    I  would  go 


64 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


to  the  reception  room  with  her,  but  I  must  go  down- 
town at  once.  The  bank  closes  in  twenty  minutes, " 
she  said,  looking  at  her  watch. 

"Why  can't  I  go  with  her?"  Helen  asked. 

"Well,  that  might  do.  Yes,  go  with  her — but  I 
can't  spare  another  minute." 

"Wait,"  Helen  called  after  her  as  she  was  descend- 
ing the  stairs,  "I  forgot,  I  have  an  appointment; 
I  can't  go  with  her." 

"Very  well, she  will  have  to — "  Helen  missed  hear- 
ing the  last  word,  for  the  matron  did  not  speak  dis- 
tinctly, provoked  at  having  to  answer  at  all  in  such 
a  place  and  on  such  a  subject. 

"It's  all  right,  Miss  Easton, "  Helen  said,  stepping 
back  into  the  room  where  Agnes  was  lying  in  a  con- 
fused little  heap  among  the  pillows  on  the  sofa.  It 
was  with  some  difficulty  that  Agnes  made  herself 
presentable, and  'twas  a  sorry,  tear-stained  face  that 
greeted  the  hopeful,  almost  happy  young  lover. 
"What  is  it,  Aggie?  Wouldn't  they  let  you  see  me? 
Well,  it  needn't  be  long  until — "  Here  Agnes  broke 
into  tears  and  tried  to  say  something  about  her  en- 
gagement; but  her  love,  long  slumbering,  awoke  and 
was  too  strong  for  concealment.  Her  lover  gathered 
her  in  his  arms  and  had  poured  forth  a  torrent  of 
endearing  terms,  before  she  could  find  words  to  tell 
him  that  it  must  not  be.  "But  you  love  me,  Aggie, 
don't  you?"  he  expostulated  when  she  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  making  him  understand  that  somebody 
else,  somewhere,  had  usurped  his  place.  "Oh,  George 
— but  I  mustn't  even  listen  to  you  now,"  and  gath- 
ering all  her  force,  she  bade  him  good-bye. 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


65 


CHAPTER  XV. 

"How  good  of  you  to  cornel"  Cleonice  Dupont  said 
upon  opening  the  door  for  Helen;  "I  am  nearly  al- 
ways alone;  my  room-mate  cliques  with  that  stupid 
Miss  Jones,  and  is  with  her  every  idle  minute.  What 
fools  girls  are!  Each  one  has  a  bosom  friend  to  whom 
every  secret  must  be  told,  and  that  bosom  friend 
promptly  repeats  it  to  her  chum  and  so  on.  I  find 
it  the  best  plan  to  keep  one's  secrets  to  one's  self, 
don't  you?" 

"Every  one  to  his  taste,  but  I  have  no  secrets  that 
would  interest  any  one." 

"Let  me  see,  I  believe  you  do  not  drink,  but  I  do, 
and  I  want  some  now.  I  always  need  a  stimulant 
when  I  talk  with  you;  you  don't  talk  nonsense  like 
most  of  girls.  Why,  I  could  talk  to  my  room-mate 
in  my  sleep  and  she  wouldn't  know  the  difference. 
But  why  don't  you  drink  wine?  Don't  you  like  the 
taste  of  it,  or  is  it  the  effects  you're  afraid  of?" 

"It  is  because  I  believe  in  total  abstinence.  No 
one  courts  the  effects  and  I  don't  know  anything 
about  the  taste. " 

"That's  all  right  for  you,  but  you  and  I  are  very 
different  women  ;  you  have  something  to  live  for  and 
somebody,  and  I  haven't." 

"Yes,  I've  something  to  live  for,  an  object,  as 
every  one  has,  but  I  have  no  particular  person  or  per- 
sons to  live  for. " 

"Why,  haven't  you  parents,  brothers  and  sisters, 
somebody?" 


66 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"No  one.  I'm  an  orphan  without  relatives;  so  you 
see,  I  have  no  more  than  you  to  make  life  worth  liv- 
ing. " 

"Then  why  do  you  live?" 

"That's  a  queer  question.  I  never  thought  sane 
people  raised  the  to-be-or-not-to-be  question.  I  am 
sure  all  of  my  hopes  and  ambitions  are  of  the  sort  to 
be  realized  hereupon  earth.  Why,  I've  never  thought 
of  not  living,  but  I've  thought  a  great  deal  about  liv- 
ing.   You  see  I've  a  mission  to  fulfill." 

"Oh,  yes,  I  like  to  see  a  girl  enthusiastic  about  her 
mission,  provided  she  subsides  in  time  to  save  her- 
self." 

"From  what?" 

"Why,  from  folly,"  Cleonice  answered  with  a 
forced,  mirthless  laugh. 

"Miss  Dupont,  you  don't  make  yourself  clear ;  I'm 
no  wiser  than  I  was." 

"You  may  be  innocent,  Miss  Herman,  but  you're 
not  ignorant.    Folly  in  a  woman  means  ruin." 

"But  why  should —  In  what  respects  does  it  differ 
from  man's  folly?" 

"If  you  don't  know,  you'll  find  out  before  your 
mission  is  fulfilled." 

"But  you  don't  know  what  my  mission  is." 

"Don't  I?  Well,  I  think  Ida  Oh,  you  fancy 
yourself  standing  before  ten  thousand  eyes,  arrayed 
in  the  finest  velvet  and  lace;  blazing  with  jewels,  and 
—-oh,  stuff  1" 

Helen's  face  turned  scarlet  under  Cleonice's  gaze, 
but  she  tried  to  reply  with  indifference:  "You  guess 
pretty  well,  Miss  Dupont;  you  are  a  good  guesser. " 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


67 


"It's  no  guess.  Your  face  bespeaks  your  charac- 
ter; I  could  almost  read  your  life." 

"Do,  please.  I  have  always  wanted  to  have  my 
fortune  told." 

"I  can't  do  that,  but  I  can  tell  you  what  nature 
has  marked  you  for,  if  you  will  follow  your  reason 
and  do  nothing  rash." 

"Very  well,  that  will  do." 

"You  are  proud  to  a  fault,  sensitive,  passionate, 
putting  your  whole  soul  into  everything  you  do,  even 
your  bicycle  riding.  You  are  impulsive  and  at  the 
same  time  cautious;  you  look  at  all  sides,  but  you 
do  it  instantly.  You  may  love,  and  deeply,  but  not 
wholly.  If  you  must  surrender  your  ambitions  it 
will  be  with  reluctance,  perhaps  with  bitterness.  I 
couldn't  imagine  you  romping  with  a  laughing  child 
in  a  quiet,  sheltered  home,  but  I  could  well  imagine 
you  with  a  hundred  little  gaping  mouths  and  eager 
countenances  turned  to  you,  as  you  in  forcible,  elo- 
quent language  delivered  an  address  upon  the  neces- 
sity of  education,  ethics  or  something  equally  idiotic 
and  beyond  their  minds.  You  would  scarcely  be  at 
ease  caring  for  a  sick  person, but  you  might  give  or- 
ders to  a  score  of  nurses.  You  could  never  be  hap- 
py in  the  love  of  one  man,  but  you  would  be  de- 
lighted, inspired  by  the  honorable  admiration  of  a 
thousand.  But  your  room-mate,  'sweet  fool, '  would 
be  divinely  happy  in  a  little  secluded  home,  with 
a  lover  for  a  husband,  and  curly-headed  babes 
for  heavenly  torture;  she  would  be  content  and 
true  as  steel. " 

"Then  ycu  mean  to  insinuate  that  I  would  not  be 
true?"     '  " 


68 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


''Never  pick  a  person  up,  Miss  Herman;  never 
make  him  explain  himself ;  just  draw  your  own  con- 
clusions in  silence  and  stab  back  at  the  first  oppor- 
tunity. " 

"You  startle  me.  You  have  drawn  my  character 
so  truly,  that  I  fancied  you  might  see  farther  than 
I,  and  discover  insincerity." 

"You  would  be  true  to  a  purpose,  but  I  shouldn't 
want  to  answer  for  your  acts  if  you  renounced  your 
liberty  to  think  and  do  as  you  pleased,  for  the  adora- 
tion of  a  husband  and  the  four  walls  of  home.  You 
can  cage  a  canary  and  it  will  love  its  captor,  but 
when  you  cage  a  lioness,  you  must  ever  be  on  the 
watch  lest  in  some  unguarded  moment  she  spring 
upon  her  captor  and  devour  him.  Do  you  under- 
stand?" 

"Yes,  too  well.  You  have  drawn  a  proud  though 
terrible  picture.  So  I  must  avoid  matrimony  if  I 
would  be  happy  and  useful." 

"Draw  your  own  conclusions." 

"And  stab  back?" 

"That  is  your  privilege, "  Cleonice  said,  laughing. 

"Well,  thank  you,  but  associating  with  you  is 
likely  to  make  me  conceited.  I  must  go.  Come  and 
see  me  sometime." 

"Maybe,  but  I  would  rather  you  would  come  here, 
instead.  Miss  Martin  is  always  gone  as  soon  as  study 
hours  are  over.  I  would  just  as  soon  go  to  your  room, 
but  I  don't  think  that  little  room-mate  is  much  in 
love  with  me.  She  shies  off  from  me  as  if  she 
thought  I  would  eat  her.  She  needn't  be  afraid;  I 
wouldn't  hurt  the  precious  little  cotton-head." 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


69 


"For  shame,  Miss  Dupont!  I  think  she  is  nice 
and  good,  although  she  doesn't  interest  me." 

"Well,  we  won't  quarrel.  I  think  she  is  nice,  too, 
but  of  small  consequence." 

Helen  went  to  her  room  feeling  her  power  to  her 
very  finger  tips.  After  working  off  her  surplus  en- 
ergy on  "Spartacus  to  the  Gladiators"  and  "Marco 
Bozzaris"  she  thought  to  experiment  with  something 
of  a  sentimental  sort,  and  tried  to  render  Maud  Mul- 
ler  in  what  she  thought  the  appropriate  style,  and 
was  struggling  with  the  expression  of  the  lines: 

"Of  all  sad  words  of  tongue  or  pen 
The  saddest  are  these:  It  might  have  been." 

when  Agnes  with  tear-stricken  face  entered  the  room. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

"We  might  be  better  friends,"  Agnes  was  saying 
one  cold  winter  evening  as  she  and  Helen  sat  in  their 
cozy  room.  As  time  had  gone  by  they  had  become 
better  acquainted,  but  were  no  better  friends  than 
at  first.  "I  might  be  different,  and  you  might  be 
different. " 

"I  don't  dislike  you,  Miss  Easton,  at  all,  but  we 
don't  interest  each  other.  We  don't  read  the  same 
books,  talk  on  the  same  subjects  nor  admire  the  same 
things,  consequently  we  don't  enjoy  each  other's 
society — that's  all." 

"Miss  Herman,  I  do  like  to  hear  you  talk,  only 
you  seem  so  unsympathetic.  You  use  good  language ; 


70 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


your  extemporaneous  speech  last  night  was  just  splen- 
did, but  while  you  are  sympathetic  to  the  generality, 
you  are  like  ice  to  the  individual." 

"I  have  no  sympathy  for  people's  selfishness." 

"But  you  don't  know  anything  about  my  aims." 

"Well,  I  know  the  ambition  of  all  such  girls  as 
yourself.  Nearly  every  woman  centers  all  of  her  aims 
on  some  one  man,  whether  he  loves  her  or  not.  To 
get  married  is  her  one  hope,  and  her  mind  holds 
nothing  but  her  own  little  world.  What  has  your 
love  affair  to  do  with  the  questions  that  are  perplex- 
ing the  world  to-day;  with  the  wide-spread  home- 
lessness,  want  and  misery?  What  interest  do  you 
feel  in  the  doings  of  this  Congress,  which  is  expected 
to  adopt  measures  that  will  bring  about  better  times? 
Imagine  yourself,  Agnes,  a  laborer  out  of  work,  or 
employed  at  starvation  wages.  How  much  heed  are 
you  giving  to  the  fact  that  thousands  of  mothers  in 
our  own  country  are  haggard  with  anxiety,  heart- 
broken at  the  future  of  their  children?" 

Agnes  shuddered  and  her  blue  eyes  filled  with  tears. 
"Such  things  are  terrible, I  know;  and  Heaven  knows, 
I  sympathize  with  the  suffering  and  distress,  but  what 
can  I  do?    I  can  only  pray  and  I  do  pray." 

"'Prayer  without  works  availeth  nothing,'  "Helen 
said. 

"If  I  can  do  anything,  tell  me  what  it  is  and  I  will 
willingly  and  gladly  do  it.  I  always  give  when  I  am 
solicited,  and  what  more  can  I  do;  what  more  can 
you  do?" 

"Tears  do  no  good  and  prayers  are  but  half.  First 
we  must  keep  posted  on  the  condition  of  things ;  we 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


71 


must  read  and  investigate  and  think.  If  people  had 
done  this,  things  would  be  far  different.  Men  vote 
blindly  for  certain  men,  whether  those  men  are  suffi- 
ciently intelligent  and  honest  or  not,  and  then  seem 
to  dismiss  the  subject  of  public  welfare  from  their 
minds,  while  the  women,  as  a  rule,  see  no  connection 
between  their  affairs  and  those  of  the  nation,  and 
'twould  do  them  no  good  if  they  did.  How  many  of 
the  girls,  do  you  suppose,  read  of  what  is  going  on 
in  Congress?  Yet  the  question  to-day  is  the  poverty 
question,  and  certainly  woman  has  quite  as  much  at 
stake  as  man.  We've  got  to  think  of  these  things. 
I  can't  exactly  explain  the  qualifications  of  the  use- 
ful woman,  but  I  know  you  must  think  of  being  use- 
ful and  desire  to  be  so;  above  all  things  disdain 
petty  selfishness,  and  live  so  as  to  force  an  acknowl- 
edgment from  every  one  that  you  are  somebody  and 
can  do  something."' 

"If  I  wanted  advice  upon  any  subject  that  required 
brain  power.  I  would  go  to  you.  but  I'd  as  soon  think 
of  pouring  out  my  soul  to  the  marble  Venus  in  the 
hall  as  to  think  of  opening  my  heart  to  you." 

"If  you  were  troubled  about  something  connected 
with  anything  high  and  noble,  you  could,  indeed, 
depend  upon  me :  but  if  it  were  about  some  trivial 
personal  affair,  you  might  as  well — I'd  rather  you'd 
go  to  Venus. " 

"Well,  we  won't  talk  about  it  any  more;  my  head 
aches  so." 

-•I'm  not  surprised;  this  room  is  stifling,  I'm  be- 
ginning to  feel  languid  and  sleepy  myself.  I  think  I 
shall  go  and  see  Miss  Dupont ;  she  always  stirs  me 


72 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


up.  By  the  way,  has  she  ever  been  to  school  be- 
fore?" 

"No.  You  are  such  friends;  I  should  think  you 
would  have  learned  that  from  her." 

"Well,  I  have  never  asked  her;  there  are  some 
people,  who,  for  some  reason,  one  doesn't  care  to 
question.  How  handsome  she  is  and  what  a  magnif- 
icent form. " 

"Yes." 

"I  wonder  if  she  is  an  American;  she  seems  to 
have  a  slight  accent.    Did  you  ever  notice  it?" 

"Yes,  her  speech  does  seem  a  little  peculiar,  but 
I  never  thought  of  it  before." 

"I  think,  Miss  Easton,  that  if  you  would  wrap  a 
shawl  about  your  shoulders,  open  that  window  and 
sit  for  half  an  hour  with  your  head  out  you'd  feel 
better.  I  would  get  over  the  habit  of  having  head- 
aches if  I  were  you.  The  time  is  fast  approaching 
when  a  woman  will  be  as  ashamed  to  confess  having 
a  headache  as  she  would  now  to  having  the  itch. " 

"Oh,  you  great  goose!  I  think  you  are  drawing 
on  your  imagination  a  little, "  Agnes  said  with  rising 
temper. 

"Well,  I'm  not.  The  itch  is  a  sure  sign  of  filth, 
and  the  headache  only  arises  from  one  of  three 
causes. " 

"And  what  are  they?" 

"First,  and  most  common,  is  too  tight  clothing; 
second,  an  overloaded  stomach;  third,  nervousness. " 

"You  know  I  ate  scarcely  any  dinner  and  no  sup- 
per, and  this  Mother  Hubbard  is  not  sqeezing  me  to 
death." 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


73 


"There  is  still -another  cause." 
"I  know  I'm  not  nervous,"  Agnes  said,  laughing, 
and  then  began  to  cry. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

"At  last!"  Cleonice  said,  as  she  opened  the  door 
for  Helen.  "I  thought  you  would  never  come.  Have 
you  seen  the  evening  paper?" 

"No.   What  is  the  matter?" 

"Only  that  another  millionaire  has  reduced  his 
employees'  wages  and  another  strike  is  on  tap." 

"Awful,  awful  1  Is  there  any  distress  among  the 
families  of  the  strikers?" 

"Not  yet,  of  course,  but  there  will  be." 

"Well,  we've  one  consolation;  there's  a  hell  yawn- 
ing for  the  wicked." 

"Oh,  mercy;  if  I  thought  of  hell  as  some  people 
do,  I'd  be  miserable.  You  read  the  Bible  so  much, 
what  is  your  idea  of  hell?" 

"Why,  a  just  and  reasonable  punishment  for  sins, 
and  I  think  it  will  be  right  here  on  earth  after  the 
resurrection." 

"Do  you  believe  there  will  be  a  resurrection  of  the 
dead?" 

"Of  course,  and  I  think  it  is  very  near." 
Cleonice  looked  startled.    "What  do  you  mean?" 
she  asked. 

"Why,  that  the  last  days  are  at  hand,  the  time 


74 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


Christ  speaks  of  in  the  24th  chapter  of  Matthew  and 
again  in  the  last  chapter  of  James,  where  it  says: 

"'Go  to  now,  ye  rich  men,  weep  and  howl  for  the 
miseries  that  shall  come  upon  you. 

"'Your  riches  are  corrupted  and  your  garments 
are  motheaten. 

"'Your  gold  and  silver  is  cankered;  and  the  rust  of 
them  shall  be  a  witness  against  you,  and  shall  eat 
your  flesh  as  it  were  fire.  Ye  have  heaped  treasures 
together  for  the  last  days. 

"'Behold,  the  hire  of  the  laborers,  who  have  reaped 
down  your  fields,  which  is  of  you  kept  back  by  fraud, 
crieth:  and  the  cries  of  them  which  have  reaped 
are  entered  into  the  ears  of  the  Lord  of  Sabaoth. ' 

"Don't  you  see?  rich  men  were  never  so  troubled 
about  their  gold  as  they  are  to-day,  and  never  before 
in  the  history  of  the  world  have  there  been  so  many 
fabulously  rich  men ;  they  have  heaped  up  treasure 
for  the  last  days.  And  look  how  the  laborer  is  de- 
frauded of  his  rights.  There  is  another  place  in  the 
Bible  where  it  speaks  of  the  great  inventions  that 
will  multiply  in  the  last  days.  Oh,  the  whole  thing 
is  plain  to  me;  the  world  is  six  thousand  years  old 
and  the  seven  thousand  is  the  great  Sabbath,  the  era 
of  peace  and  rest." 

"Who  has  put  such  ideas  into  your  head?" 

"Nobody,"  Helen  said  contemptuously.  "It  is  in 
the  Bible  as  plain  as  the  commandments." 

"Then  how  is  it  so  few  find  it?" 

"Because  so  few  want  to  find  it.  Preachers  don't 
want  it.  People  don't  want  to  know  that  the  time 
is  near  when  we  must  deal  honestly  with  our  fellow 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


75 


men,  when  each  must  stand  on  his  own  merits.  We 
refuse  to  think  of  it  because  it  makes  us  uncomfort- 
able in  our  selfishness,  and  preachers  don't  want  to 
know  it  because  it  means  a  death  blow  to  the  church. 
The  Catholic  church  tried  to  keep  the  Bible  from 
the  people  because  they  knew  that  as  soon  as  the 
people  became  educated  the  church  would  be  dead, 
and  it  is  just  so  to-day.  Preachers  are  either  igno- 
rant themselves  or  they  want  to  keep  the  people 
down.  Oh,  there  is  such  appalling  ignorance  in  the 
church!  If  it  were  just  of  the  quiet,  meek  sort  it 
might  be  borne,  but  this  kind  that  goes  out  and  ped- 
dles itself  is  past  all  charity." 

"You  have  given  several  reasons  why  the  people 
do  not  want  to  know  the  truth,  as  you  term  your 
fantasy,  but  you  omitted  one — the  most  important 
one,  too." 

"What  is  it?" 

"Why,  they  probably  realize  that  they  are  not 
ready  for  the  coming  of  Christ." 

"No,  they  are  not  ready  and  they  don't  want  to 
get  ready.  We  are  nearly  all  usurpers  and  we  don't 
want  to  give  up  our  offices  and  high  worldly  positions 
for  'The  first  shall  be  last,  and  the  last  shall  be 
first.'" 

"Well, Miss  Herman, I  admire  the  sheep  more  that 
strays  into  forbidden  pastures,  but  let  me  tell  you 
that  those  that  follow  the  bell  are  the  happier.  The 
common  herd,  after  all,  have  the  best  time  of  it, 
whether  they  are  wisest  or  not.  Now,  there  is  the 
calm,  sweet  Miss  Easton,  who  kneels  every  Sunday 
in  her  Presbyterian  pew;  she  was  born  and  will  live 


76 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


and  die,  and  though  she  may  be  recorded  in  heaven, 
she  scarcely  will  be  on  earth.  She  folds  her  hands 
on  her  peaceful  breast  and  walks  uncomplainingly 
in  the  straight  and  conventional  way,  but  you  place 
your  arms  akimbo  and  push  and  surge  and  knock 
against  everybody.  Take  care,  Miss  Herman,  you 
will  wear  your  life  away  swimming  against  the  tide." 

"If  the  sheep  are  happy  in  the  herd,  the  stray 
would  be  miserable  there,  and  I  shall  continue  to 
follow  my  inclinations  and  browse  in  strange  pas- 
tures." 

"Yes,  you  are  all  right.  As  I  said  once  before,  a 
meek  and  gentle  spirit  may  be  caged,  but  there  are 
some  natures  that  will  not  be  restricted.  'All  the 
world's  a  stage,'  and  on  her  broad  boards  many 
dramas  are  played;  there  are  comedies,  melodramas, 
farces  and  tragedies,  but  after  each  and  all  the  lights 
go  out  and  the  stage  is  dark." 

Here  as  if  to  lend  effect  to  the  somber  words  and 
ominous  half-prophecy,  the  electric  lights  were  turned 
off.  The  signal  had  been  given,  but  neither  had  no- 
ticed it,  so  interested  were  they  in  their  talk. 

"Mercy!  I  must  go,"  Helen  said,  springing  up. 
"My  door  will  be  locked." 

"Sleep  with  me,"  Miss  Dupont  said. 

"But  your  room-mate?" 

"She  hasn't  come  yet.  I  suppose  she  will  sleep 
where  she  is.  " 

"No,  I  mustn't  stay, "  Helen  said,  as  she  opened 
the  door  noiselessly.  She  liked  Cleonice,  was  inter- 
ested in  her,  but  could  not  endorse  her  bitter,  strange 
denunciations,  nor  enjoy  her  grim,  contemptuous 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


77 


moods.  She  could  not  think  of  spending  the  night 
with  her,  and  hurried  to  her  own  room. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

"Are  you  going  to  church?"  Agnes  said  to  Helen, 
one  Sunday  morning  in  January,  as  they  returned  to 
their  room  from  breakfast. 

"I  think  not — maybe  I  will,  too,  for  I  can't  ride 
my  wheel  to-day,  and  if  I  don't  go  to  church  I  won't 
get  out  at  all.  The  Sundays  are  so  dull  here  after 
spending  them  in  a  large  place  like  R — . " 

"It  was  too  bad  about  the  blockade  keeping  you 
from  going  home,  when  }Tou  wanted  to  go  so  bad." 
Then  after  a  moment:  "Pardon  me,  Miss  Herman, 
but  it  is  queer  to  me  that  you  do  not  belong  to  some 
religious  denomination,  when  you  read  the  Bible  so 
much  and  quote  Scripture  like  a  phonograph. "  Agnes 
looked  up  in  bashful  expectancy.  She  feared  she 
had  gone  a  little  too  far,  but  had  been  dying  for 
months  to  know  why  Helen  didn't  belong  to  any 
church,  and  had  never  before  had  courage  to  ask. 

"I  might  tell  you,"  Helen  returned,  "but  you 
wouldn't  be  satisfied.  You  know  all  people  do  not 
see  alike." 

"But  what  are  you,  anyway?  You  must  be  some- 
thing." 

"Maybe  I  am,  but  I  haven't  found  a  name  for  it 
yet," 

Agnes  looked  up  quickly. 


78 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"Well,  it's  the  truth,"  Helen  said  dryly.  "I've 
a  little  sect  of  my  own,  I  guess,  and  I  don't  quarrel 
with  the  churches  any  worse  than  they  do  among 
themselves. 

"  'And  concerning-  the  road  they  can  never  agree, 
The  old  or  the  new  way,  which  shall  it  be? 
And  never  a  moment  stop  to  think 
That  both  must  pause  at  the  river's  brink. 

"      Sprinkled  or  plunged,  may  I  ask,  my  friend, 
How  you  attained  to  life's  great  end?" 
"Thus,  with  a  few  drops  upon  my  brow7" — 
"But  I've  been  plunged,  as  you'll  see  me  now, 

"  •"  And  I  really  think  it  will  hardly  do, 

As  I'm  in  close  communion,  to  cross  with  you; 
You're  bound,  I  know,  to  the  realm  of  bliss, 
But  you  must  go  that  wray  and  I'll  go  this." 

"  '  Then  straightway  plunging  with  all  his  might 
Off  to  the  left,  his  friend  to  the  right, 
Apart  they  went  from  this  wTorld  of  sin, 
But  at  last  together  they  entered  in.' 

"And  just  so  it  will  be  in  the  end.  Just  as  every 
river  runs  directly  or  indirectly  to  the  sea,  will  every 
soul  get  into  the  abode  of  the  saints.  God  doesn't 
tell  us  things  that  are  unreasonable.  When  we  un- 
derstand his  laws  we  see  them  to  be  reasonable  and 
methodical;  we  see  that  he  had  a  plan  and  didn't 
just  flop  things  together.  Why,  the  whole  universe 
is  governed  by  law ;  life  and  death  are  according  to 
law.  Philosophers  study  and  dig,  and  when  they  have 
discovered  a  law  they  see  it  to  be  simple  enough. 
The  sun,  shining  through  falling  water,  creates  what 
we  call  a  rainbow,  yet  people  were  once  superstitious 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


79 


about  it,  as  they  also  were  about  the  sun,  the  moon 
and  nearly  every  aspect  of  Nature,  until  study  re- 
vealed law  behind  all  phenomena.  We  discovered 
the  law  of  gravitation  after  it  had  been  in  operation 
for  thousands  of  years.  All  of  these  things  have  ex- 
isted like  the  coal  mines  which,  though  unknown  to 
man,  have  been  in  the  depths  of  the  earth  awaiting 
his  discovery  of  them.  I  think  the  time  will  come 
when  we  will  understand  that  God  knew  what  He 
was  about  when  He  made  the  world."  Here  Helen 
paused  to  give  Agnes  a  chance  to  offer  something, 
but  the  latter  was  in  no  mood  for  logical  religion  and 
absently  replied,  "Most  probably." 

Helen  then  launched  into  politics, began  to  talk  of 
tariff,  free  silver,  capital  and  labor,  corrupt  politi- 
cians and  incomprehensible  things  in  general,  but 
Agnes  only  replied,  "I  don't  understand  it  at  all." 
But  Helen  was  wound  up  and  her  tongue  just  had  to 
relieve  the  tension  on  her  mind,  so  she  struck  off  on 
the  temperance  question,  and  here,  to  her  surprise, 
Agnes  pricked  up  her  ears  and  began  to  show  a  de- 
cided interest. 

"Do  you  think  it  is  wrong  for  men  to  drink?"  she 
asked. 

uOh,itall  depends  upon  the  man;  if  his  hands  are 
soft  and  white,  and  his  purse  is  well  lined,  why,  it's 
too  bad ;  he  is  such  a  fine  man  otherwise — so  influ- 
ential; but  if  his  hands  are  rough  and  horny  it's 
awful — beastly. " 

"But  what  do  you  think  of  the  gold-cure  so  many 
are  taking?"  Agnes  asked,  smiling.  Helen's  irony 
grated  on  her,  bat  still  it  amused  her, 


80 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"Why,  I  think  it  is  the  best  thing  we  have.  It  is 
doing  more  for  the  cause  of  temperance  than  the  W. 
C.  T.  U.  and  church  combined.  It  takes  hold  of  a 
man  in  a  different  way;  makes  him  feel  ordinarily 
respectable;  tells  him  that  he  is  diseased  andean  be 
cured,  just  as  he  could  be  cured  of  any  other  disease. 
You  see,  it  doesn't  degrade  him  as  other  temperance 
work  does.  The  preacher  says,  'You  poor,  degraded, 
wretched,  miserable  old  sinner,  come  up  here  and 
kneel  at  this  altar  and  pray  the  blessed  Lord  to  save 
your  sinful  soul  from  Hell. '  The  church  might  save 
him  if  it  could  convert  him,  but  it  doesn't  go  about 
it  in  the  right  way  to  succeed." 

"Oh,  I  never  heard  a  preacher  talk  that  way." 

"Well,  I  have.  I  heard  a  preacher  tell  his  audi- 
ence that  they  were  not  fit  for  the  buzzards  to  puke 
on,  and  a  year  later  when  he  came  back,  the  first 
thing  he  said  was,  'Well,  you  old  cusses  are  here  yet; 
I  expected  you  would  all  be  in  hell  by  this  time.'" 

"Oh,  mercy!  You  must  have  lived  in  Arkansas  or 
Texas." 

"Don't  insult  Arkansas  or  Texas  by  insinuating 
that  such  are  peculiar  to  them.  Why,  these  self- 
styled  'evangelists'  are  not  confined  to  any  locality, 
but  are  lunatics  at  large." 

"But  this  man  didn't  get  any  converts?" 

"Yes,he  did,  dozens  and  scores  of  them,  and  when 
he  preached  his  farewell  sermon  women  wept,  and 
the  whole  congregation  went  forward  to  say  good-bye, 
and  some  clung  to  his  hand  as  if  they  never  could 
bear  to  let  him  go.  Indeed,  they  are  very  successful; 
so  much  so  that  local  preachers  are  aping  them  until 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


SI 


the  pulpit  is  becoming — is  the  scene  of  the  most  dis- 
gusting sensationalism." 

"Such  a  man  would  be  hissed  from  any  pulpit  I 
know  of.  Our  town  is  small,  but  our  preachers  are 
at  least  refined.  But  about  the  temperance  union. 
You  wear  a  white  ribbon,  but  you  speak  of  it  as  if 
it  were  doing  the  temperance  cause  no  good." 

"No,  I  think  it  does  some  good,  of  course.  It  at 
least  appeals  to  refined  women  if  not  to  men.  Re- 
fined women  will  not  drink." 

"Oh,  Helen,  do  not  say  that.  You  have  never  been 
in  Saratoga;  you  have  never  been  in  London;  the 
finer  the  lad}r  the  more  she  drinks.  We  were  invited 
to  spend  a  few  days  at  Lady  Cornwall's  country 
place,  and  I  tell  you  a  waiter  could  bring  you  a  glass 
of  wine  quicker  than  he  could  a  glass  of  ice  water. 
Papa  isn't  a  temperance  man,  though  he  cannot  be 
called  a  drinking  man,  but  he  made  some  excuse  and 
got  us  away  before  the  time  set,  and  told  Aunt  Kate 
not  to  accept  any  more  invitations;  he  was  so  afraid 
Joe  would  get  to  drinking.  It's  different  in  Eng- 
land; any  one  who  turns  his  glass  down  at  the  table 
there  is  a  conspicuous  figure.  Joe  tried  to  turn  his 
once  at  dinner,  but  in  trying  to  be  quick  so  as  to 
avoid  notice,  broke  it.  His  hostess  promptly  bade 
the  waiter  bring  him  another,  never  suspecting 
what  caused  him  to  do  it." 

"She  probably  knew  that  he  was  a  congressman's 
son. " 

"Oh,  yes,"  Agnes  answered,  innocently,  "and  the 
hostess  is  a  prominent  woman  in  London." 

"Well,  I  have  my  own  private  opinion  of  what  is 
nice,  but  I  have  never  been  in  society." 


82 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"But,"  said  Agnes, recurring  to  the  treatment  sub- 
ject, "did  you  ever  know  any  one  who  took  the  gold- 
cure  and  always  stuck  to  it?" 

"I  know  a  man  who  has  'always  stuck,'  for  seven 
years. " 

"And  you  think  the  cure  a  good  thing." 
"Most  certainly. " 

"And  you  think  a  majority  are  cured  for  good?" 
"Why,  yes.    But  why  are  you  so  interested;  does 
your  father  or  brother  drink?" 
"No." 

"But  somebody  does— your  sweetheart,  maybe?" 
Agnes  blushed  and  looked  appealingly  at  Helen. 
"Well,  if  he  does,  I  should  prescribe  the  cure  for 
him." 

"Oh,  Helen,  Miss  Herman,  I  wish  you  would  show 
half  as  much  pity  for  me  as  you  do  for  a  hungry  dog. 
I  believe  you  spend  two  or  three  dollars  a  week  buy- 
ing meat  for  hungry  dogs." 

"I  don't  believe  you  are  hungry,  Agnes,  and  if  you 
are  it  is  your  own  fault;  you  eat  at  the  same  table 
with  me,  and  I  always  satisfy  myself." 

"I'm  not  hungry,  but  my  heart  is  breaking, "  Agnes 
said  with  a  sob  and  buried  her  face  in  her  hands. 

"Well,  Agnes,  if  you've  anything  to  tell,  I'm  ready 
to  listen.  I  can't  promise  any  great  sympathy  in  a 
love  affair, but  I  will  at  least  respect  your  confidence. " 

Agnes  raised  her  head  and  looked  her  thanks 
th  rough  her  tears.  Like  any  other  tender-hearted  girl, 
she  had  longed  for  a  confidante,  and  whileHelen's  odd, 
careless  way  had  chilled  her  every  time  she  would 
have  divulged  her  secret,  yet  she  longed  to  tell  her. 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


83 


Slit  knew  that  a  girl  who  fed  hungry  dogs  must 
have  a  warm  spot  in  her  heart.  She  felt  great  con- 
fidence in  Helen's  power  to  move  things.  A  girl 
who  led  in  devotional  exercises  or  not.  just  as  she 
chose,  a  girl  who  had  been  elected  president  of  a 
college  society  on  a  three  weeks'  acquaintance,  and 
who  stood  right  in  with  the  brainy  principal  must 
be  endowed  with  uncommon  ability ;  and  the  depend- 
ent, clinging  Agnes  wanted  just  such  a  friend. 

"Oh,  how  good  of  you!  I  expect  it's  awful  in  me 
to  want  to  bother  anyone  else  with  my  troubles." 

••It  won't  bother  me.  If  I  can  give  you  any  advice 
I  will  do  so,  and  if  I  can't  I  will  dismiss  it  from- my 
mind. " 

So  without  any  more  preliminaries.  Agnes  began. 
She  didn't  want  to  lose  the  vantage  ground  she 
had  gained. 

"Papa,  until  the  last  two  years,  fed  stock.  Three 
years  ago  he  hired  a  young  man  to  come  to  the  place 
to  take  charge  of  the  business,  buying  and  so  forth. 
The  young  man's  name  was  George  Sanderson,  and 
he  was  very  bright  and  well-mannered.  Father  took 
a  liking  to  him  and  treated  him  as  a  friend.  The 
next  summer  when  Joe  and  I  went  home  we  got  ac- 
quainted with  him  and  liked  him  as  well  as  papa  did. 
We  used  to  go  on  horseback  with  him  all  over  the 
country  when  he  was  out  buying  stock.  I  was  only 
fifteen  and  George  twenty-two,  but  we  thought  a 
great  deal  of  each  other,  and.  with  Joe  as  our  confi- 
dante, we  made  arrangements  to  marry  when  I  got  to 
be  eighteen,  and  go  to  California.  George  had  been 
buying  on  the  Board  of  Trade  and  had  made  some- 


84 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


thing  and  we  thought  that  in  three  years  he  would 
have  money  enough  to  buy  a  ranch.  How  we  planned 
and  how  I  hated  to  come  back  to  school  I  but  of  course 
I  had  to.  I  got  a  letter  every  other  day.  He  was 
still  making  money  and  our  planning  continued  and 
our  affection  grew  stronger  all  the  time.  Papa  was 
reelected  that  fall.  He  had  always  kept  wine,  but 
the  boys  were  never  allowed  to  drink  any  and  they 
never  seemed  to  want  to ;  but  when  papa  knew  him- 
self elected  again,  contrary  to  his  usual  way  he  gave 
the  boys  wine,  and  after  he  had  gone  to  his  room  they 
got  up  and  came  back  to  the  dining-room  and  drank 
and  drank.  There  is  where  it  began,  but  not  where 
it  ended  with  poor  George.  .Joe  hadn't  been  in  school, 
having  been  around  with  papa  during  the  campaign, 
but  the  next  day  he  was  sent  to  school — one  that  was 
very  strict — so  he  was  all  right,  but  George  kept  on 
until  papa  had  to  discharge  him,  and  a  letter  was 
sent  to  school  telling  them  not  to  let  me  correspond 
with  him.  So  we  lost  each  other.  I  heard  afterward 
that  he  lost  his  money  just  as  he  had  made  it — on 
the  Board  of  Trade,  but  heard  nothing  from  him 
directly  until  last  summer,  when  Joe  accidentally 
ran  across  him.  Papa  felt  so  bad  about  the  affair 
that  he  had  the  wine  locked  up  in  the  cellar  and  is 
awful  careful  who  he  treats  now. 

"A  year  ago  last  summer  I  went  to  Europe  with 
papa  and  Aunt  Kate  and  Joe.  We  traveled  some, 
but  spent  most  of  our  time  in  London,  where  I  met 
a  Lord  Avon.  He  was  handsome  and  rich  and  was 
very  nice  to  me,  but  I  thought  nothing  of  it  at  the 
time;  last  summer  he  datae  unexpectedly,  one  day, 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


85 


and  talked  with  papa ;  told  him  that  he  had  fallen 
in  love  with  me  in  London,  and  was  just  on  the  point 
of  proposing  to  me  when  he  heard  I  was  engaged. 
But  fortunately  he  had  just  discovered  the  report  to  be 
false  and  had  hurried  right  over  to  ask  me  to  be  his 
wife,  and  he  begged  papa  to  consent.  Papa  said  he 
would  leave  it  to  me  and  sent  for  me  to  come  down'." 
Agnes  blushed  and  stammered.  "I — well— I  don't 
know  how  it  happened.  I  don't  think  I  intended  to 
say  yes,  but  when  he  went  away  I  was — we  were  en- 
gaged. 

"Two  days  afterwards  Joe  came  home — he  had 
been  off  with  a  fishing  party.  Well,  he  was  so  dis- 
gusted with  me  to  think  that  I  would  marry  an  Eng- 
lishman, and  a  titled  one  at  that,  that  he  got  me  as 
disgusted  as  himself.  And  then  he  told  me  that  he 
had  seen  George  Sanderson;  that  George's  uncle  had 
paid  for  his  treatment  and  sent  him  to  school ;  and 
that  George  hadn't  drunk  for  over  two  years  and  was 
a  temperance  lecturer.  Then  after  I  came  here  I  got 
a  letter  from  him,  and  'twas  he  who  came  to  see  me 
that  day,  you  know." 

"The  most  serious  kind  of  a  love  affair  is  trivial 
enough  to  me,  but  I  really  do  feel  a  little  sympathy 
for  you.    What  are  you  going  to  do  about  it?" 

"Why,  what  can  I  do?  I  must  keep  my  promise." 

"But  couldn't  you  do  something  to  make  him 
draw  off?" 

"Oh,  a  man  never  breaks  an  engagement." 

"Well,  Miss  Easton,  I  would  help  you  if  I  could, 
but  I  see  no  chance.  I  am  interested  in  other  things, " 
and  Helen  turned  and  looked  absently  out  of  the 


86 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


window.  She  felt  sorry  for  her  room-mate,  yet  she 
had  no  admiration  for  the  woman  who  could  spend 
her  life  weeping  and  mourning  over  an  unhappy  love 
affair.  With  a  world  to  save;  with  riot  and  blood- 
shed on  every  hand  and  the  fierce  fight  between 
capital  and  labor  threatening  dire  disaster  to  the 
country;  when  every  day  brought  fresh  news  of  se- 
rious trouble  somewhere,  such  mooning  was  con- 
temptible. She  was  educating  herself  to  take  part 
in  the  struggle,  and  so  strong  and  vivid  was  her 
thought  that  she  irrelevantly  quoted  aloud:  "For 
when  you  see  these  signs,  you  may  know  that  the 
time  is  near,  even  at  the  door." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

"Won't  they  ever  do  anything  with  the  silver  ques- 
tion?" Helen  said  to  herself,  as  she  threw  the  even- 
ing paper  down  and  left  the  reading-room.  Every 
day  since  Congress  had  been  called  together  she  had 
watched  the  papers,  and  every  day  it  was  the  same 
thing.  Some  senator  six  or  eight,  or  even  ten  hours 
on  the  floor  and  talking  as  long  as  he  had  anything 
to  say;  when  he  had  nothing  more  to  say  he  was 
privileged  to  hold  the  floor  and  keep  his  mouth  go- 
ing. The  country  raved  and  swore  vengeance  on  the 
traitors, 

"  Whose  treason  like  a  deadly  blight 

Comes  o'er  the  councils  of  the  brave; 
'  And  blasts  them  in  their  hour  of  might.  " 

In  disgust  Helen  sought  Cleonice.    She  could  de- 


A  NEW  WOMAN. 


8? 


nounce  a  Democratic,  congress  to  Cleonice,  but  she 
couldn't  let  Agnes  know  how  disappointed  she  was. 
A  Democrat  can  scorch  his  party's  doings  to  another 
Democrat,  but  not  to  a  Republican. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Cleonice  Dupont,  acting  upon  Helen's  suggestion 
to  study  the  Bible  for  the  sake  of  knowledge, if  noth- 
ing more,  had  gradually  grown  so  interested  in  it 
that  she  studied  it  more  than  any  of  her  books.  One 
day  she  was  sitting  reading  page  after  page. 

"Now  learn  a  parable  of  the  fig  tree;  when  his 
branch  is  yet  tender  and  putteth  forth  leaves  ye  may 
know  the  summer  is  nigh. 

"So  likewise  ye, when  ye  see  all  these  things, know 
that  the  end  is  near,  even  at  the  door." 
-  "It  is  true, "  she  said,  "I  believe  it  is  true;  the 
time  of  the  end  is  at  hand.  But  with  all  the  proof 
at  hand  there  is  still  strong  evidence  against.  For 
no  bastard  can  enter  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven ;  how 
can  she  reconcile  that?  Oh,  they  ran,  and  pray  and 
adore  the  blessed  Lord,  and  yet  in  His  Word  He  says 
no  bastard  shall  enter  heaven.  Why  should  I  want 
to  be  there  and  my  precious  innocent  darling  not 
with  me?"  Here  she  opened  a  drawer  and  took  a 
picture  from  it  and  gazed  at  it  with  streaming  e}Tes. 

"No,  my  baby,  I  must  be  with  you  wherever  you 
are;  I  must  be  with  you  and  no  bastard  can  enter 
the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.  Oh,  God,  why  can't  my 
sin  fall  upon  my  own  soul?"  she  said,  sobbing  wildly. 


88 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"Why,  Cleonice,  what  is  the  matter?  .  You  didn't 
hear  me  knock  and  I  heard  you  crying,  so  I  came 
in." 

"Helen  Herman,  you  here!"  Cleonice  said, spring- 
ing to  her  feet,  the  tender  expression  gone  and  a  look 
of  proud  defiance  settling  on  her  dark  face.  "You 
are  here  to  spy  upon  me,  you  false  friend,  you  deceit- 
ful comrade.  I  was  fool  enough  to  like  you;  I  would 
have  trusted  you,  because  with  your  frank,  open,  in- 
dependent manner  you  seemed  worthy  of  trust,  but 
now  I  know  it  to  be  but  a  mask  to  cover  your  deceit- 
ful purposes. " 

"Cleonice,  you  had  no  cause  to  trust  me.  I  never 
asked,  never  wanted  your  confidence.  I  don't  invite 
the  confidence  of  any  one, for  I  do  not  care  to  be  en- 
cumbered with  the  troubles  of  individuals.  I  liked 
you  because  you  were  not  a  silly,  giggling  girl ;  be- 
cause you  were  original,  well  read  and  good  company. 
You  interested  me  because  you  are  not  so  foolishly 
conventional  as  the  ordinary  woman. 

"1  know  your  secret,"  she  continued,  "but  I  did 
not  seek  to  discover  it.  I  suspected  nothing,  but 
hearing  you  sobbing,  thoughtlessly  hurried  in.  I 
heard  your  last  words  and  caught  a  glimpse  of  the 
pretty  baby  picture,  and  though  country  born  and 
bred  I'm  not  an  innocent  fool.  But  before  now  I 
never  suspected  you,  considering  you  a  woman  of 
courage  and  strong  character,  above  the  frivolity  of 
love  and  weak  passion.  Alas,  I  find  my  mistake 
and  I  cannot  help  showing  what  I  feel,  contempt  for 
one  who,  endowed  with  God's  choicest  gifts,  intelli- 
gence, keen  perceptions,  allowed  herself  to  be  whee- 
dled and  coaxed  like  any  pretty  silly  girl  out — " 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


89 


"Helen  Herman,  there  is  the  door.  Go,  and  tell 
what  you  know — I  defy  you.  The  same  trouble  that 
has  befallen  me  has  befallen  many  others.  You  have 
chosen  the  same  profession  that  I  chose.  Y.ou  will 
admire  what  I  admired — the  society  of  the  polished 
gentlemen;  you  have  the  same  weaknesses  and  pas- 
sions that  I  had.  Be  warned  and  go,  but  remember 
'the  rapids  are  below  you."' 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

"The  headache  again,  Agnes?"  Helen  said  one 
day  when  she  came  up  from  dinner  and  found  Agnes 
bathing  her  head  in  ice  water.  "I  missed  you  at 
dinner  and  knew  what  the  matter  was,  of  course. 
Well,  if  you're  determined  to  have  the  headache,  I 
can't  do  anything  for  you." 

"It's  so  fearfully  warm,"  Agnes  said,  paying  no 
attention  to  Helen's  remark.  She  had  grown  accus- 
tomed to  her  room-mate's  way,  and  though  she  dis- 
liked it,  paid  no  attention  to  it. 

"There  is  a  black  cloud  coming  up  in  the  north- 
west. We  will  get  rain  this  evening,  maybe,  and  the 
atmosphere  will  be  cooled  off." 

"Are  you  going  down?"  Agnes  asked  as  Helen 
turned  to  leave  the  room. 

"Yes,  I'm  going  to  get  a  book." 

"Bring  me  something." 

"What  shall  it  be?" 

"Oh,  something  light." 

"Shall  I  bring  you  a  magazine,  Scribner's  or  the 
ArenaV 


90 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"Oh  no,  something  light — something  that  won't 

make  my  headache  worse." 

"I  might  find  Mother  Goose's  Rhymes." 

"Helen,  you  are  just  hateful,  you  are.  Because  I 
can't  plow  through  the  'Age  of  Reason,'  or  the  'De- 
scent of  Man, '  or  something  equally  absurd  and  con- 
trary to  the  Bible,  is  no  reason  why  you  should  speak 
to  me  as  though  I  had  no  sense.  You  believe  the  Bi- 
ble, or  claim  you  do,  and  I  don't  see  how  you  can 
read  Darwin's  books  trying  to  prove  man  came  from 
a  monkey  and  a  monkey  from  something  lower.  You 
are  not  consistent.  I  believe  you  are  afraid  that 
somebody  will  know  something  that  you  don't." 

"Well,  forgive  me,  Agnes,  I  was  just  joking.  But 
you  and  I  look  upon  books  in  a  different  way;  I 
should  want  to  read  something  good  if  I  read  at  all. 
The  Arena  is  the  best  magazine  going;  there's  vari- 
ety of  reading  in  it,  and  you  can  pick  out  what  you 
want.  Mercy!  what  a  clap  of  thunder !  how  quickly 
that  cloud  has  come  up !  Well,  shall  I  bring  you  a 
paper?" 

"No,  no,  that  clap  of  thunder  has  nearly  set  me 
crazy.    Oh,  my  head  1" 

"Sha'n't  I  do  something  for  you?" 

"I  don't  know  what  you  could  do.  I'll  feel  better 
after  the  rain.  Gracious!  that  thunder!  Go  to  the 
end  of  the  hall  and  look,  Helen!  How  the  wind 
blows,  and  such  lightning.  Come  back,  Helen!" 
Agnes  screamed  frantically.  Just  then  a  blinding 
flash  of  lightning  and  a  deafening  crash  of  thunder 
rent  the  air  and  Agnes  saw  Helen  fall  at  the  farther 
end  of  the  hall,  just  as  she  turned  to  run. 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


91 


"Oh,  Heaven!  Helen,  come — I'll  help  you — can't 
yon  help  yourself  a  little?" 

But  Helen  was  senseless  and  white  as  the  dead. 
The  storm  was  growing  fiercer;  the  great  branches 
of  trees  dashed  against  the  windows,  smashing  as 
they  went.  The  hysterical  screams  of  the  girls,  added 
to  the  storm,  made  an  indescribable  din. 

Agnes  called  loudly  for  help,  but  none  came:  then 
with  a  strength  wholly  foreign  to  her  small  fragile 
form,  she  seized  Helen  and  dragged  her  the  length  of 
the  hall  to  the  stairway,  and  then  looked  around  in 
despair;  she  could  go  no  farther,  so  she  dropped  her 
burden  and  started  for  help;  she  had  reached  but  the 
middle  of  the  stairway  when  she  was  roughly  pushed 
aside  by  Cleonice  Dupont. 

"You  coward  girl;  the  building  is  on  fire.  I 
wouldn't  leave  a  dog  to  be  burned  to  death. " 

The  building  was  filled  with  smoke  and  the  wind 
lashed  the  flames  to  a  fury,  but  Agnes  hadn't  noticed 
it;  she  crouched  down  on  the  steps  against  the  ban- 
ister to  allow  Cleonice  to  pass,  carrying  Helen  in 
her  arms  as  if  she  had  been  an  infant. 

A  moment  more  and  the  storm  was  over.  The 
cloud  had  spent  its  force,  and  rode  past  still  looking 
inky  and  awful.  The  sun  shone  out  and  it  was  very 
calm 

The  lightning  had  struck  a  wing  of  the  structure 
easily  accessible,  but  the  fire-company  extinguished 
the  flames  with  little  difficulty. 

When  Helen  came  to  herself  she  was  in  bed  and 
Agnes  was  bencling  over  her.    The  matron  stood  at 


92 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


the  foot  of  the  bed  and  the  doctor  was  busy  at  the 
table  preparing  medicine. 

UA11  right,"  he  said  as  he  saw  Helen  return  to 
consciousness.  "She'll  get  along  all  right  now;  just 
follow  up  with  these  drops  every  hour  and  if  she  is 
restless  and  sleepless  to-night,  give  one  of  these 
powders  and  another  in  three  hours  if  she  is  still 
restless.  Can  this  young  woman  be  trusted  to  watch 
her?"  he  asked  the  matron. 

"Oh,  yes,  I  think  she  can,  if  you  give  full  direc- 
tions.   You  say  there  is  nothing  serious?" 

"Oh,  no,  as  "much  fright  as  anything.  You  un- 
derstand about  the  medicine;  the  drops  every  hour 
and  the  powders  if  she  should  be  restless;  and  report 
to  me  in  the  morning."  Then  he  took  his  hat  and 
went  to  the  door,  where  he  stopped  and  again  gave 
orders  about  the  medicine. 

Helen  waited  until  the  doctor  and  the  matron  had 
gone,  then  turned  to  Agnes:  "So  they've  got  me 
bundled  up  in  bed  and  somehow  I  feel  satisfied  to  be 
here.  How  did  it  happen?  I  remember  the  storm 
breaking  and  my  feeling  dizzy  and  faint,  but  that's 
all." 

"You  were  shocked  by  the  lightning." 

"No,  Agnes,  it  must  have  been  the  thunder.  The 
awfulest  crashes  I  ever  heard!" 

"The  thunder  frightened  you,  but  it  must  have 
been  the  lightning  that  shocked  you." 

"No,  I  am  sure,  I  remember  the  thunder  plainer 
than  the  lightning.  But  what  else  happened?  I  see 
the  building  is  left  standing." 

"Yes,  but  it  came  near  burning  down;  the  floor  is 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


93 


all  burnt  away  where   you  fell  and  the  walls  are  in 
such  a  shape  that  that  wing  will  have  to  be  rebuilt. " 
"And  who  got  me  away?" 

"Why,  I  dragged  you  to  the  head  of  the  stairs  and 
Cleonice  Dupont  came  running  up  and  carried  you 
down. " 

"You  got  me  away,  Agnes;  yo u  dragged  me  to  the 
stairs?"  Helen  asked  in  amazement,  as  she  looked 
at  the  girl  she  had  always  thought  to  be  so  insignif- 
icant. 

"Yes,  I  got  you  that  far,  but  couldn't  get  you  any 
further,  and  if  it  hadn't  been  for  Miss  Dupont  you 
would  have  been  suffocated  by  the  smoke." 

"Well,  Agnes,  Irm  grateful  to  you  and  Cleonice, 
but  words  don't  mean  anything.  Maybe  I'll  be  able 
sometime  to  show  my  gratitude  in  some  more  sub- 
stantial manner;  for  the  present  I'm  terribly  in 
your  debt.  Now  I  will  rest;  I  feel  sleepy,"  Helen 
said  as  her  eyes  filled  with  tears;  and  she  turned  her 
face  to  the  wall. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

A  few  days  later  Helen  was  up,  and  she  and  Agnes 
were  very  close  together, talking  in  the  most  friendly 
way  in  the  world. 

"Agnes,  I  arranged  it  all  while  I  lay  in  bed.  I  will 
hunt  the  Englishman  up — make  desperate  love  to 
him  and  take  him  off  your  hands." 

Agnes  threw  her  arm  around  Helen's  neck  and  tried 


94 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


to  remonstrate,  but  Helen  stopped  her.  "You  see, 
I  owe  you  something.  Of  course  I  don't  know  any- 
thing about  your  lordling,but  if  he's  like  all  the  others 
my  three  millions  will  catch  him.  Then  if  he's  a 
little  fastidious,  why,  I'm  pretty  enough.  I'm  not 
awkward,  appear  well,  and  I've  enough  education; 
and  then  you  can  have  your  boy  lover." 

"Oh,  Helen,  Helen!  I  used  to  think  you  had  a 
heart  of  stone,  but  you  are  an  angel.  You  would 
ruin  your  own  happiness — no,  I  can't  let  you." 

"I've  no  happiness  to  ruin.  I'm  not  in  love  with 
anybody  and  I  don't  see  why  I  might  not  fall  in  love 
with  the  Englishman  as  well  as  with  anyone  else  and 
make  him  treat  you  so  you  could  break  off  the 
engagement."  Helen  was  very  sure  she  could  do  any- 
thing she  chose  and  Agnes  thought  her  almost  super- 
human. 

"I  positively  believe  you  could  do  so  if  you 
wanted  to;  but  it  does  look  so  awful,  so  wicked  for 
us  to  be  planning  on  such  a  thing." 

"Looks  wicked  for  a  girl  to  be  planning  to  secure 
a  titled  husband?  I  have  wranted  one  ever  since  I 
was  ten  years  old, and  now — Oh,  ye  gods!  I  will  have 
him  in  spite  of  you;  I  will  captivate  him  with  my 
three  millions  and  my  smile.  Oh,  I'm  determined, 
Agnes;  but  the  thing  is,  how  shall  I  meet  him?" 

"You  shall  go  home  with  me  in  June."  The 
temptation  was  too  strong.  '^He  is  invited  to  be 
there  and  we  are  all  going  to  Saratoga  or  Newport 
to  spend  the  hottest  part  of  summer." 

"I  positively  believe  there  is  something  natural  in 
me  despite  your  constant  assurance  that  I'm  the 
queerest  girl  on  earth.    I  already  feel  quite  jubilant 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


95 


over  the  prospect.  I  believe  I  know  how  to  flirt,  if 
I  haven't  had  the  experience.  But  I  must  have  some 
new  dresses,  and  instead  of  taking  my  lessons  next 
Saturday  I'll  go  to  the  city  on  a  shopping  excur- 
sion. Can't  you  go  along?  But  I  must  go  to  Cle- 
onice.  You  say  she  didn't  come  near  while  I  was 
in  bed?" 

"No,  but  she  asked  after  you  several  times." 

"Well,  I  will  go  to  her  room." 

"Yes,  I  would.  You  two  haven't  been  very  friendly 
lately;  and  she  did  more  than  I  to  save  you." 

A  few  moments  later  Helen  knocked  at  Cleonice's 
door.  It  was  the  hour  when  she  had  always  found 
Cleonice  alone,  and  this  time  was  no  exception  to 
the  rule.  Cleonice  opened  the  door  and  stepped  back 
and  motioned  Helen  to  enter. 

"Cleonice, "  Helen  said, much  embarrassed,  "I  want 
to  thank  you  for  saving  me  as  you  did.  I  want  to 
say  that  I  appreciate  what  you  have  done, and  I  don't 
consider  a  mere  'thank  you'  sufficient.  Cleonice,  I 
want  to  be  your  friend.  I  want  to  be  on  the  same 
terms  with  you  that  I  was  three  weeks  ago." 

"Miss  Herman,  you  could  do  nothing  less  than 
offer  your  friendship.  But  tell  me  the  truth  fully, 
have  you  missed  my  companionship,  would  you  have 
offered  your  friendship  if  I  had  not  rendered  you  a 
service?" 

"Yes,  I  have  missed  you;  my  evenings  have  been 
dull.  No,  I  probably  would  never  have  come  to  you 
had  you  not  done  as  you  did,  for  I  shouldn't  have 
known  that  you  possessed  true  courage;  I  would  still 
have  fancied  you  as  weak  in  every  way  as — " 


96 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"As  I  have  been  in  moral  courage,"  .Cleonice said. 
"Miss  Herman,  you  can't  possibly  feel  any  more 
contempt  for  me  than  I  feel  for  myself.  It  will  not 
be  possible  for  us  to  be  to  each  other  just  what  we 
were ;  we  stand"  upon  different  planes ;  you  are  higher 
and  nobler  in  my  sight  than  you  were,  and  I,  alas, 
am  a  depraved  creature  to  you.'' 

"How?  Didn't  you  save  my  life  in  return  for  the 
denunciation  I  hurled  at  you?  How  have  I  risen  in 
your  estimation?" 

"Because  you  have  known  my  secret  and  kept  it 
and  allowed  no  one  to  see  by  your  manner  that  we 
were  not  friends.  Haven't  you  spoken  just  as  courte- 
ously as  ever,  and  wasn't  it  an  effort?  Your  face 
crimsons;  it  is  true;  I  have  felt  the  same  even  when 
leading  an  immoral  life  myself ;  I  have  drawn  my 
skirts  aside  that  I  might  not  brush  against  one  of 
my  own  kind;  and  to-day  I  despise  immoral  women, 
and  those  most  who  cloak  their  sin  with  assumed 
purity. " 

"Oh,  Cleonice,  you  can't  know  what  contempt  I 
feel  for  myself  for  treating  you  as — " 

"We  can't  be  the  same  again,  Helen,"  Cleonice 
interposed.  "I  don't  expect  that;  but  we  can  spend 
an  evening  together  occasionally.  You  advised  me 
to  read  the  Bible  just  for  knowledge'sake,  and  I  find 
that  it  satisfies  more  than  knowledge,  but  there  are 
places  that  I  do  not  understand  and  I  want  your 
help." 

"I  will  do  all  lean  for  you;  but  I  feel  so  insignif- 
icant. Oh,  I  feel  so  weak  and  small  in  the  sight 
of  God.    Do  you  know,  I  had  often  thanked  Him 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


97 


that  I  was  not  as  others,  as  you  and  Agnes  Easton. 
She  with  her  child's  face  and  almost  child's  form, 
did  for  me  what  I  with  my  great  strong  body  might 
not  have  done  for  her.  And  you,  whom  I  had  wronged, 
rushed  back  in  a  burning  building  and  rescued  me." 
Here  the  last  vestige  of  her  pride  vanished  and  she 
burst  into  tears. 

"Sit  down,  Helen,  I'm  going  to  tell  you  some- 
thing of  my  past  life,  that  you  may  take  warning. 
Don't  ever  be  deceived  by  the  idea  that  marriage  in 
the  sight  of  God  is  equivalent  to  marriage  sanctioned 
by  man.  As  sure  as  you  do,  your  peace  of  mind  is 
gone.  You  take  to  trashy  literature,  wine  and  gam- 
bling. You  must  occupy  yourself  with  something, 
and  your  paramour  cannot  take  you  among  women 
of  his  acquaintance.  You  go  down  the  ladder,  step 
by  step,  first  with  fear  and  trembling,  then  with  less 
trepidation,  finally  carelessly  and  recklessly.  Fifty 
outcast  women  die  in  sin  to  one  that  is  reclaimed. 
Few  men  of  these  whom  we  recognize  as  gentlemen 
will  marry  the  mistress  of  another  man,  and  there  is 
no  happiness  to  be  had  in  such  marriage,  for  the 
man  never  trusts  such  a  wife  and  is  always  suspi- 
cious. I  don't  know  how  God  punishes  the  libertine 
and  seducer  after  death,  but  his  happiness  is  not 
marred  on  earth.  Bat  the  Lord  did  curse  Eve  and 
that  curse  still  rests  upon  her  daughters."  Helen 
sat  with  her  face  hidden  in  her  hands.  A  few  mo- 
ments ago  her  pride  seemed  entirely  gone,  but  now 
it  began  to  rise.  Why  should  she  be  warned  against 
such  things;  she  with  her  stout  heart  and  dauntless 
courage?  But  she  was  silent,  feeling  that  she  must 
listen  to  anything  that  Cleonice'had  to  say. 


98 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"You  are  left  just  as  I  was,"  Cleonice  continued, 
"an  orphan,  without  friends,  beautiful, and  very  sure 
of  your  own  strength.  You  are  about  to  go  upon 
the  stage.  That  is  what  I  did.  A  few  words  more 
then  you  may  go,  and  we  will  ignore  the  subject  for- 
ever. Remember  to  avoid  wine,  first,  last  and  al- 
ways, and  that  though  you  may  sail  smoothly  for 
a  time,  'the  rapids  are  below  you. '" 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Congressman  Easton  and  his  son  were  in  the  li- 
brary, Joe  having  run  down  from  school  to  spend 
Sunday  at  home. 

"But  about  this  unpleasant  little  affair  with  the 
Englishman;  just  how  will  we  manage  it?  You  are 
sure  Aggie  doesn't  care  anything  for  him?" 

"Not  a  continental, "  Joe  returned  in  a  man-of- 
the-world  fashion,  as  he  bit  the  end  off  a  Havana 
and  lighted  it.  "She  don't  even  rave  over  his  hair 
and  mustache." 

"Then  the  evidence  is  conclusive,  you  think — keen 
perception,  Joe — evidence  that  you  will  be  a  success 
at  law — but  have  you  any  suggestions  to  offer?" 

"Why,  he  is  already  invited  to  spend  the  summer 
with  us. " 

"Yes." 

"Well,  invite  some  other  Englishman,  so  he  won't 
be  lonesome;  then  a  girl  or  two — rich  ones,  of  course 
— and  I'll  manage  to  give  out  the  impression  that 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


99 


your  finances  are  not  what  they  might  be.  There's 
the  thing  in  a  nutshell." 

"My  scheme  exactly!    But  what  girls  shall  we 

ask?" 

"Had  we  better  invite  two  or  only  one?" 
"Why,  if  we  have  two,  he'll  have  a  variety  to  choose 
from." 

"That's  what  I'm  afraid  of,  Pa;  a  variety  might 
rattle  the  poor  fellow;  he  might  not  be  able  to  de- 
cide between  them,  and  after  all  take  Agnes." 

"Keen  perceptions  again,  Joe;  I've  really  cause  to 
be  proud  of  you.  But  who  shall  the  one  be?  Most 
rich  girls  will  be  wanting  to  go  to  Saratoga  or  New- 
port as  soon  as  the  season  opens.  They  won't  want 
to  come  out  to  a  country  place  even  for  a  fortnight. " 

"Don't  you  fool  yourself,"  Joe  said  as  he  daintily 
tipped  the  ashes  from  his  cigar.  "Just  casually  men- 
tion in  your  invitation  that  Lord  Avon,  of  — shire, 
England,  will  be  here,  and  see  how  quick  she'll  re- 
nounce Saratoga  and  the  pretty  bathing  suits  of  New- 
port, " 

Our  congressman  chuckled;  his  son  was  indeed 
promising.  "Well,  you've  done  so  well,  so  far,  that 
I  might  have  left  the  whole  thing  to  you,  as  I  intend 
to  from  now  on.    Whom  will  you  invite?" 

"Did  Agnes  ever  say  anything  to  you  in  her  letters 
about  her  room-mate?" 

"Not  that  I  remember  of." 

"Well,  she  has  to  me;  wrote  that  she  had  a  room- 
mate who  was  an  orphan  without  relatives  and  very 
rich — worth  three  millions." 

"Just  the  very  thing.    But  wait;  I  believe  she  re- 


100 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


ferred  to  her  a  time  or  two,  but  never  very  warmly 
— didn't  seem  to  like  her,  in  fact. " 

"Write  her  and  tell  her  to  be  good  to  the  widows 
and  orphans ;  tell  her  that  you  liked  the  description 
of  her  friend  and  to  bring  her  home  with  her  in 
June.  That  wasn't  the  one  Agnes  helped  in  the 
storm?" 

Here  the  mail  was  handed  in.  "Give  me  the  news, 
quick,  Joe;  I  wonder  how  the  market  closed  off." 
Then  hastily  scanning  the  prices,  our  modern  legis- 
lator ejaculated,  "By  G — d,  I'll  hold  on  a  while 
longer. " 

"Here  is  a  letter  for  you  from  Agnes.  Shall.  I 
open  it?" 

"Of  course."    And  Joe  read: 

"May  23,  1894. 

"My  Deae  Fathek  and  Auntie  : — I  haven't  had  an 
answer  to  my  last,  but  I  suppose  you  are  both  busy. 
I  will  pass  all  right,  though  I  don't  expect  to  come 
out  with  honors.  I  wish  some  of  you  could  be  here 
to  see  me  graduate,  but  of  course  I  know  that  to  be 
impossible,  unless  it  might  be  that  Aunt  Kate  could 
come,  if  she  could  be  content  to  leave  off  prepara- 
tions for  our  English  guest. 

"I  wish  I  could  bring  a  friend  home  with  me — 
Miss  Herman,  my  room-mate.  I  didn't  used  to  like 
her,  but  since  the  storm  we  have  gotten  to  be  great 
friends.  She's  just  splendid,  only  she's  a  Democrat, 
but  surely  you  won't  care  for  that.  She  can't  vote 
but  she  can  talk  like  everything,  yet  I  know  she 
won't  do  anything  to  injure  you  while  she  is  our 
guest.  I  think  she  is  the  finest  girl  in  the  world,  and 
so  will  you.  I  do  hope  I  may  bring  her.  Let  me 
know  at  once.  Lovingly, 

"Agnes." 


A  NEW  WO. MAN 


101 


''Everything  plays  into  our  hands,"  Joe  said,  as 
he  laid  the  letter  down.    "I'll  answer  it,  Pa." 

"Wish  you  would.  I'll  have  to  start  for  Wash- 
ington this  evening.  Every  Republican  has  to  be 
on  duty  these  days;  we  must  defeat  every  Demo- 
cratic measure.  D — d  if  they  haven't  got  things  in 
a  precious  muddle!  Can't  agree  among  themselves 
about  tariff  or  silver;  haven't  done  anything  but 
empty  the  treasury,  and  the  people  are  disgusted 
and  mad.  This  congress'  doings  will  kill  the  Demo- 
cratic party  and  we're  going  to  assist  the  business  all 
we  can  and  get  ready  to  preside  at  the  funeral.  Don't 
know  as  the  Eepublicans  are  united  on  issues,  but 
we're  hell  on  methods.  But  I  tell  you,  Joe,  you 
want  to  keep  your  weather  eye  open  for  developments 
among  the  people.  If  I'm  not  mistaken,  a  few  years 
will  show  different  issues  and  maybe  new  parties, 
and  you  want  to  be  onto  the  racket  so  as  to  know 
which  way  to  jump;  but  tariff  for  the  people,  and 
'The  Substantial'  for  We,  Us  and  Co.,  is  the  game 
just  now. " 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

We  are  in  London  again,  in  the  apartments  of  Sir 
Alfred  Gates.    Lord  Avon  has  just  been  ushered  in. 
He  offers  one  hand  to  his  friend  while  caressing  his 
mustache  with  the  other. 

"How  are  you,  Sir  Alfred?" 

"Splendid;  and  how  is  your  lordship?" 


102 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"Violent,  desperate,  on  the  verge  of  suicide,"  he 
said  as  he  dropped  into  a  chair. 

"What's  the  matter;  don't  your  new  trousers  fit?" 

"Worse  yet.  Just  listen  to  this,"  and  he  drew  a 
letter  from  his  pocket.  "I  will  waive  all  ceremony 
and  plunge  right  into  the  business  part:  'You  have 
already  promised  to  come,  this  summer,  and  accom- 
pany us  on  our  summer  outing.  Now,  it  is  my  in- 
tention to  have  a  few  guests  here  at  my  country 
home  for  a  few  weeks,  before  going  to  a  summer  re- 
sort. It  may  be  a  little  lonesome  for  you  here  among 
strangers,  so  you  may  bring  some  friend  if  you  wish, 
and  I  assure  you  that  he,  as  well  as  yourself,  will  be 
most  welcome.  My  sister,  Mrs.  Daniels,  my  son  and 
daughter,  a  friend  of  the  latter,  and  possibly  one  or 
two  others,  will  be  here  to  meet  and  greet  you.  Come, 
if  possible,  by  the  twenty-fif  th  of  June, '  and  so  on." 

"You  ought  to  be  delighted,"  Sir  Alfred  ventured 
to  say. 

"What!  Delighted  to  be  drying  up  in  the  back- 
woods with  Saratoga  in  full  blast?" 

"But  it  seems  there  is  to  be  a  sort  of  house-party. " 

"Yes,  consisting  of  a  homely  widow,  fifty  years 
old,  a  boy  of  twenty  or  thereabouts,  who  possesses 
all  the  conceit  of  the  typical  American,  coupled  with 
the  arrogance  of  a  congressman's  son,  and  a  couple 
of  school  girls. " 

"Well,  I  say  again  that  you  ought  to  be  delighted. " 

"So  I  am,  so  I  am,"  returned  his  lordship,  chang- 
ing his  tactics  in  an  instant,  "and  I  came  to  delight 
you  by  inviting  you  as  the  specified  friend  to  go  with 
me. " 


A  NEW  WOMAH 


103 


uBut  it  is  a  wholly  different  thing  with  me.  You 
are  going  to  your  betrothed  and  I  should  have  only 
the  unsatisfactory  pleasure  of  looking  on  and  real- 
izing what  I  miss. " 

"But  there  is  Miss  Easton's  friend.  She  may  be 
very  agreeable,  is  probably  rich,  and  possibly  pretty.  " 

•*Yes,  she  might  be  all  that,  but  I'm  not  curious 
enough  to  cross  the  ocean  to  find  out." 

••But  we  will  have  a  perfectly  lovely  time.  Amer- 
ica is  so  different  from  London.  Out  in  the  country 
there -is  no  constraint;  we  will  be  told  to  make  our- 
selves at  home;  and  we  can  find  the  cellar  if  there  is 
nothing  on  the  sideboard.'' 

"Pardon  me,"  Sir  Alfred  said,  springing  up. 
'"Have  a  glass  of  wine." 

'•Thank  you, "  his  lordship  returned,  laughing  as 
he  drank.  "Then  we  can  have  a  second  dish  of  pud- 
ding and  everything  to  match..  There's  no  limit  to 
liberty  in  'the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the 
brave. '  Why,  we  can  do  anything,  unless  it  be  to 
kiss  the  cook,  and  we  might  find  something  more 
agreeable  to  kiss.  Do  go  ;  what  will  you  do  this  sum- 
mer if  you  don't?" 

"When  is  the  wedding  to  come  off?" 

"Oh.  sometime  in  the  fall — October,  I  believe. 
And  you  always  promised  to  be  best  man." 

"And  so  I  will  I  will  go  over  in  the  ship  with 
the  trousseau  and  be  there  in  plenty  of  time." 

"Well,  I  don't  know  what  fresh  argument  to  offer, " 
and  his  lordship  actually  pulled  his  mustache  in  de- 
spair. 

"Well,  cheer  up. then:  I'll  go.  I  don't  mind  much 


104 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


where  I  am,  anyway.  'There's  nothing  new  under 
the  sun. '  One  might  as  well  watch  the  world  going 
to  hell  from  that  side  as  this.  There's  as  conclusive 
evidence  there  as  here,  but  tell  me  about  their  cus- 
toms; what's  expected  of  one?" 

"Why,  weren't  you  there?  I  thought  you  figured, 
or  tried  to,  for  a  while  in  American  society."  . 

Sir  Alfred  blushed.  "Don't  mention  it,  please. 
But  I  might  as  well  admit  that  I  never  felt  very  com- 
fortable over  the  encounter  I  had,  and  I  don't  be- 
lieve I  fell  in  with  the  best  society.  If  I  thought 
you  had  done  no  better  I  would  offer  you  condolence 
instead  of  congratulations." 

"I  don't  know  what  you  struck;  you  have  never 
told  me.  Anything — -ahem — compromising?  Ha, 
ha!" 

"No,  no,"  Sir  Alfred  hastened  to  say.  "Just 
trades-people,  rich,  but  vulgar.  And  I  thought  I  was 
going  to  have  to  marry  the  whole  family.  Did  you 
ever  see  anything  like  the  American  appetite  for 
titles?" 

"I  swear  I  never  did.  I  didn't  fare  as  roughly  as 
you  did;  but  Gad!  I  was  gobbled  up  the  instant  I 
offered  myself."  Then  bethinking  himself,  his  lord- 
ship said,  "The  Eastons  are  fine  people,  of  course; 
there  are  none  finer  in  America.  But  a  new  coun- 
try cannot  be  expected  to  display  the  excellencies  of 
an  old  established  one  like  ours.  You  know  our  turf 
is  the  product  of  centuries,  just  as  we  are  sprung  from 
a  long  line  of  aristocratic  ancestry. "  And  he  caressed 
his  mustache  complacently. 

"But  society  has  some  kind  of  requirements.  One 


A  XEW  WOMAN 


105 


doesn't  care  to  run  against  the  merest  idiosyncrasies 
of  those  with  whom  he  associates.  Do  the  women 
expect  to  be  flattered  as  much  there  as  here?" 

"They  don't  resent  it,  I  assure  you.  You  can  act 
just  the  same  there  as  here,  but  you  mustn't  say  the 
same  things.  It's  limb  instead  of  leg;  it's  the  Court 
here,  but  the  Four  Hundred  there.  You  just  simply 
shake  hands  with  everybody,  high  and  low, and  offer 
a  cigar  if  you  want  to.  It  isn't  likely  we'll  meet  the 
President  at  the  White  House,  but  if  we  should  be, 
invited  don't  get  excited;  you  don't  have  to  tip-toe 
in,  nor  back  out,  nor  kiss  his  hand.'" 

"Oh,  thunder,  I  understand  such  things.  I  want 
to  know  how  to  treat  the  ladies.  Do  they  dance  as 
they  do  here?" 

"  Just  the  same,  and  their  waists  are  quite  as  small. 
You  mustn't  smoke  in  the  presence  of  a  lady  either 
in  the  house  or  in  the  carriage." 

"Now  you're  coming  at  it.    Keep  on." 

"Don't  ask  every  lady  to  drink  with  you.  When 
you  see  a  woman  with  a  knot  of  white  ribbon  on  the 
front  of  her  dress,  don't  ask  her  what  it  means- 
total  abstinence.  A  yellow  one's  female  suffrage, 
but  if  you  should  meet  one  of  them  you  wouldn't 
have  to  ask;  she'd  announce  her  principles  at  long 
range.  Just  make  it  a  rule  to  be  a  little  cautious  at 
all  times." 

"Thank  you,  my  lord.  I  must  not  ask  the  ladies 
indiscriminately  to  drink;  I  must  not  smoke  when 
promenading  in  the  — what  do  you  call  it?  I  must 
steer  clear  of  the  woman's  rights  advocate,  talk 
about  the  Four  Hundred,  and  when  I  want  to  say  leg 


106 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


I  must  say  lim— by  the  way,  how  do  you  spell  it?" 

"Go  on,  go  on.  You'll  pass  muster.  Oh,  we'll 
have  a  glorious  time.  I  tell  you,  if  you  want  to  be 
drunk  mentally,  and  morally,  all  summer,  just  go 
to  Saratoga, and  that  is  probably  where  they  will  go. 
I  assure  you  that  Saratoga  is  right  on  top;  she's  up 
with  Paris,  now;  in  another  season  she'll  be  out  of 
sight.  But  I  must  go;  I  can't  squander  time  in  this 
way.  I  will  see  my  tailor  and  you'd  better  do  the 
same.  We  must  go  well  dressed ;  they  know  how  to 
dress  over  there,"  his  lordship  said  gayly,  as  he 
stepped  into  the  hall. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Our  congressman  was  at  home  again  after  another 
installment  of  legislative  jangling,  and  was  lounging 
in  the  library  feeling  in  the  best  of  humor.  His 
daughter,  with  her  friend,  would  come  in  a  couple 
of  days;  the  Englishmen  would  be  on  hand  accord- 
ing to  request;  while  Joe  might  turn  in  any  minute. 

Now  our  genial,  popular  legislator  was  a  good, 
kind  father;  he  loved  his  sweet  daughter  and  was 
fond  and  proud  of  his  Joe.  He  was  also  a  generous 
host  and  meant  to  entertain  his  guests  in  the  best 
style,  priding  himself  with  the  thought  that  he  would 
give  them  a  taste  of  hospitality  of  the  American 
brand.  He  had  had  a  tilt  with  his  conscience,  as 
well  as  with  his  sister — who  was  a  white  ribboner, 
— -on  the  subject  of  wine  for  the  guests.    He  had  al- 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


107 


ways  kept  wine,  but  never  since  the  fate  of  George 
Sanderson  had  it  been  kept  on  the  sideboard  or  table. 
Realizing  that  one  might  as  well  offer  an  Englishman 
a  bed  without  springs,  or  a  table  without  legs,  as  a' 
dinner  without  wine,  he  had  reasoned  with  his  con- 
science, overruled  Mrs.  Daniels'  objections,  bitter 
though  they  were,  and  ordered  his  already  really 
fine  stock  replenished  with  some  of  the  choicest 
brands  to  be  had.  But  for  all  that, he  knew  the  evils 
of  intemperance  and  was  waiting  to  have  a  serious 
talk  with  his  son.  There  was  a  swish  and  a  buzz, 
and  a  bicycle  stopped  at  the  gate.  Joe  sprang  lightly 
to  the  ground  and  ran  to  meet  his  father,  who  wsls 
coming  to  greet  him. 

•'Hello,  Joe,  how  do  you  come  on?" 

"Firstrate.  Pa.  How  are  you  and  how  did  you 
come  out  in  your  last  deal?" 

"I'm  holding  on  yet;  corn  will  go  up,  there's  such 
a  scarcity  of  rain." 

"Yes,  looks  like  a  general  drouth.  Have  you  heard 
from  Agnes?" 

"Yes,  they'll  be  here  day  after  to-morrow." 

"Got  second  honors,  Pa." 

"That's  good,  but  come  in;  I  want  to  have  a  quiet 
talk  with  you. " 

"What's  the  matter  with  out  here?  There's  the 
hammock  for  you  and  I'll  take  the  grass,"  and  suit- 
ing the  action  to  the  word,  he  stretched  his  shapely, 
athletic  legs  on  the  ground  and  rested  his  head  on 
his  hand. 

"Well,  you  know  that  we  are  going  to  entertain 
two  Englishmen  soon." 


108 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"Yes." 

"Well,  I  want  to  entertain  them  in  style;  and  to 
do  it,  must  furnish  them  something  to  drink." 
"Of  course." 

"And  it  must  be  on  the  sideboard  and  table;  I 
can't  invite  them  to  the  cellar." 
"Well?" 

"Why,  Joe,  I  shall  expect  you  to  abstain." 
"Indeed!" 

"Yes,  indeed;  it  won't  do  for  a  young  man  of 
your  age,  who  expects  to  carve  out  a  name  for  him- 
self, to  begin  to  tip  the  social  glass.  In  fact,  I  be- 
lieve the  man  who  lets  the  stuff  alone  without  being 
a  crank  on  the  subject,  is  the  most  successful.  When 
a  man  applies  for  a  position,  the  first  question  is, 
'Does  he  drink?'  There  are  three  things  a  promis- 
ing, ambitious  young  man  must  avoid." 

"What  besides  wine?" 

"Cards,. except  in  a  social  way;  and  women  with- 
out any  exceptions.  I  don't  want  to  exclude  all  forms 
of  pleasure;  you  can  sow  your  wild  oats, of  course — " 
here  the  politician  floundered. 

"Please  tell  me,  my  dear  father,  where  I'm  to  sow 
my  wild  oats  without  wine,  women  and  cards!" 

"You  can  smoke  the  best  cigars  and  go  hunting 
and  fishing  all  you  like,  and  have  all  the  white 
breeches  you  want, "  the  father  said  very  soberly. 
But  Joe  laughed  aloud ;  he  was  anxious  to  turn  the 
whole  thing  into  a  joke. 

"I'm  in  earnest,  Joe." 

"And — I'm  twenty-one,  father." 

"I  know  that,  and  of  course  you  can  get  into  all 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


109 


the  d — d  meanness  you  want  to,  but  I  thought  I 
could  trust  a  little  to  your  judgment  and  common 
sense. " 

Joe  sobered  at  this.  He  was  proud  of  his  distin- 
guished father  and  proud  of  the  place  he  held  in  his 
father's  estimation.  "Well,  father,  I'll  promise  on 
the  wine  question  and  study  about  the  other.  Will 
you  have  to  go  back  before  our  guests  arrive?" 

"I  hope  not.  I  won't  unless  they  wire  me  that 
I'm  needed ;"  and  as  they  sauntered  toward  the  house 
he  added,  "Remember,  Joe,  I  don't  object  to  an  in- 
nocent flirtation.    Here,  have  a  smoke." 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Commencement  was  over  at  the  seminary  and  the 
students  were  in  the  delightful  confusion  of  leave- 
taking.  Our  girls  were  up  before  daylight,  having 
been  unable  to  sleep  much.  In  fact  Agnes  had  not 
slept  at  all  and  Helen's  fitful  slumber  had,  at  an 
early  hour,  terminated  in  a  dream  of  personal  con- 
quest in  the  Mother  Country — having  forced  the 
Britishers  to  acquiesce  to  a  bimetallic  standard. 
This  waked  her  up  ready  for  the  work  at  hand. 

Before  long  the  whole  dormitory  was  awake.  There 
was  a  constant  opening  and  shutting  of  doors ;  trunks 
and  boxes  were  dragged  into  the  hall.  Clatter  and 
chatter  reigned  everywhere;  and  Agnes  and  Helen 
did  their  share  to  make  the  din  a  merry  one.  Helen 
seemed  to  have  forgotten  this  ever-dying  world,  cap- 


110 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


ital  and  labor,  repeal  of  the  purchasing  clause,  tariff 
and  the  thousand  other  subjects  she  was  wont  to 
spend  much  breath  and  energy  upon.  She  had  either 
dropped  with  enthusiasm  into  the  ordinary  role  of 
woman,  that  of  contemplating  flirtation  and  con- 
quests, or  she  was  playing  her  part  well. 

"Here,  Agnes,  will  you  button  my  dress?  I  didn't 
think  three  months  ago  that  I'd  ever  be  fool  enough 
to  have  a  diess  that  buttoned  under  the  arm.  What 
a  nuisance  they  are,  and  mercy,  how  tight!"  she 
said  with  a  half  scowl  as  Agnes  proceeded. 

"No,  it's  not  very  tight;  it's  just  the  stays  that 
make  it  stiff. " 

"Well,  I  couldn't  handle  the  dumb-bells  in  this." 

"It  won't  be  necessary.  You  won't  even  have  to 
walk  without  support  when  you  are  with  his  lord- 
ship; Englishmen  are  so  much  politer  than  Ameri- 
cans— at  least  they  make  a  greater  ado  over  things. " 

"It's  the  latter,  I  think.  There's  an  Englishman 
back  home  who  came  over  when  he  was  only  twelve 
years  old, and  he  can't  bend  his  head  to  spit  without 
a  flourish,  and  his  manner  is  so  obsequious  that  he 
absolutely  seems  to  be  deferential  to  fence  posts, 
doorsills  and  the  like.  And  he's  only  an  ordinary 
man,  so  I  sha'n't  be  surprised  if  his  lordship  is  much 
more  elaborate.    You  say  he  has  curly. hair?" 

"Yes,  such  beautiful  hair;  as  fine  and  soft  as  your 
own,  and  the  finest  mustache  I  ever  saw.  And  so 
handsome!  Oh,  Helen!  I  just  know  that  you  will 
marry  him  and  go  to  England,  and  I  won't  see  you 
again. " 

"Maybe  not,  Agnes." 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


111 


"Oh,  aren't  you  in  earnest  with  me?" 

"Yes,  Agnes,  I  am  in  earnest  with  you.  Now  I 
will  go  and  say  good-bye  to  Cleonice. " 

But  Cleonice  was  gone,  having  left  on  the  mid- 
night train,  leaving  a  short  farewell  note  for  Helen, 
which  was  handed  her  by  Miss  Martin.  Helen  read 
it  and  returned  in  a  preoccupied  state  of  mind  to  her 
room,  where  she  sat  silent  until  train-time,  much  to 
the  discomfiture  of  Agnes. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Joe  met  the  girls  at  the  end  of  their  journey.  "My, 
ain't  she  a  stunner!"  he  said  under  his  breath,  as  soon 
as  Helen  appeared  on  the  car  platform.  "She'll 
rattle  that  dude  all  right." 

Helen  and  Joe  readily  became  acquainted, and  be- 
fore the  first  day  was  over  had  had  a  race  on  their 
wheels,  and  a  political  scrap,  in  which  both  claimed 
the  victory. 

But  now  the  evening  of  the  twenty-fifth  had  come. 
Agnes  had  finally  stopped  fussing  over  Helen's  hair, 
had  pinned  flowers  in  the  meshes  of  the  lace  at  her 
throat,  and  pronounced  her  perfect.  Joe  scowled  as 
they  entered  the  parlors.  "Togged  up  for  the  for- 
eigners! Pa  and  I  haven't  seen  anything  but  plain 
brown  or  gray  duds, "  and  Joe  turned  to  go  in  disgust. 

"Don't  go  off,  Joe;  I'm  horribly  nervous;  stay  and 
see  the  thing  through  and  lend  your  assistance,  if 
necessary,  as  every  American  should, "  Agnes  pleaded. 


112 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"A  true  American  doesn't  amount  to  anything  in 
the  eyes  of  the  American  women." 

"I  don't  know  the  kind  of  women  you  have  been 
brought  in  contact  with,  but  I  know  they  have  not 
been  of  my  stamp,"  Helen  said  decidedly. 

UI  hope  you  will  prove  your  patriotism  in  deeds," 
Joe  said,  somewhat  mollified.  He  was  forgetting  his 
game, it  seemed.  "Let's  walk  out  to  the  gate,  Miss 
Herman,  and  watch  for  the  carriage.  You  will  have 
plenty  of  time  to  run  back  without  being  seen." 

uOh,  Helen,  don't  go;  you  will  get  your  dress 
mussed  and  your  flowers  all  every  way,  "Agnes,  said. 

But  Helen  went.  The  house  stood  quite  a  distance 
back  from  the  road  and  the  walk  and  the  excitement 
brought  the  color  to  her  cheeks  and  a  brilliancy  to 
her  eyes.  Joe  thought  her  magnificent  and  said  gal- 
lantly, "What  if  the  roses  at  your  throat  are  wilted? 
they  are  fresh  enough  in  your  cheeks,  and  such  beau- 
tiful eyes;  by  heaven!" 

"Yes,  indeed,"  Helen  said  with  affected  earnest- 
ness which  completely  dumfounded  Joe. 

"You  can't  make  fun  of  me,"  he  stammered. 

"Nor  you  of  me." 

"Oh,  confound  it,  Miss  Herman,  I  don't  under- 
stand you  at  all. " 

"Well,  I  don't  understand  you." 

"How?    What?    Explain  3Tourself." 

"Why,  you  are  a  bright,  generous,  whole-souled 
boy,  who,  from  a  mistaken  idea  of  gallantry,  has  started 
on  the  road  to  moral  ruin  by  being  insincere." 

"By  Jove,  Miss  Herman,  you're  an  oddity.  I 
thought  women  liked  flattery." 


A  NEW  WOMAN  113 

"We  like  honest  praise  from  honest  hearts,  but 
detest  flippant  compliments." 

"By  Jings,  I  do  like  you,  Helen." 

"There,  Joe,  well  said;  you  meant  that.  And  I 
like  you,  for  I  know  the  conventional  veneer  isn't 
very  thick  on  you  and  you  really  enjoy  being  sincere. " 

"Oh,  Lord,  yes,"  Joe  said  fervently.  "Hark,  take 
to  your  legs,  the  carriage  is  nearly  here." 

Joe  shook  hands  with  the  guests  at  the  gate,  and, 
together  with  his  father,  escorted  them  into  the 
house.  As  they  entered  the  parlor,  Mrs.  Daniels  and 
Agnes  went  forward  to  meet  them,  while  Helen  stood 
in  the  background.  Her  heart  fluttered  strangely, 
for  after  all  a  man  is  a  man,  whether  an  American 
or  not.  Here. Helen  was  brought  forward  to  meet 
them  and  say  her  little  speech. 

The  Englishmen  could  scarcely  refrain  from  inter- 
changing looks,  for  all  three  of  the  women  wore  the 
white  ribbon.  Lucky  it  was  that  Helen  had  not 
worn  the  badge  of  yellow.  Her  supply  had  been  too 
soiled  for  her  costume  and  Agnes  had  had  none  to 
replace  it.  It  was  an  awkward  moment,  and  after 
they  were  all  seated,  it  was  worse. 

Our  congressman  cudgeled  his  brains  for  a  topic 
that  would  be  suitable  to  all,  but  in  vain.  Had  he 
been  alone  with  them  he  could  have  sprung  American 
politics,  "our  securities  abroad"  or  some  such  sub- 
ject, but  it  was  obviously  out  of  place  on  this  occa- 
sion. Finally  Joe  asked  if  they  had  had  a  pleasant 
voyage,  which  started  a  conversation  which  hung  on 
in  some  sort  of  fashion  until  supper  was  announced. 

When  asked  which  he  and  his  friend  preferred, 


114 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


cards  or  dancing,  his  lordship  inquired  what  Ameri- 
can ladies  played. 

"Oh,  they  don't  play  baccarat,  but  they  are  often 
quite  good  at  whist  or  pedro. "  Joe  had  gotten  it 
into  his  head  that  baccarat  was  the  English  national 
game. 

"There  are  hardly  enough  of  us  to  dance,"  his 
lordship  ventured,  utterly  ignoring  Joe's  remark. 

"But  we  can  waltz.  Your  Lordship  is  a  good 
waltzer  and  Miss  Herman  wants  to  learn,  don't  you, 
Helen?"  Agnes  said. 

"Oh,  yes,  indeed."  So  Agnes  played  and  his 
lordship  led  Helen  forth.  The  host  engaged  Sir 
Alfred  in  conversation  and  poor  Joe  was  left  to  him- 
self. He  turned  the  photographs  and  fumbled  with 
some  books,  feeling  altogether  disgusted  and  miser- 
able. Helen  had  been  very  nice  to  him  all  evening 
and  he  had  felt  much  elated  until  she  evinced  such 
a  readiness  to  dance  with  his  lordship.  "I  can  waltz 
as  well  as  he,  but  she  never  offered  to  learn  of  me," 
he  said  to  himself.  It  was  all  right  for  him  and  his 
father  to  lay  the  plot,  but  for  the  girls  to  walk  into 
it  so  readily  was  strange,  he  thought.  He  wasn't  so 
much  surprised  at  Agnes,  for  he  understood  her  feel- 
ing for  George  Sanderson,  but  for  Helen,  such  a  girl 
as  Helen  Herman,  to  be  so  delighted  with  the  hom- 
age of  a  foreigner  was  hard  to  understand. 

"It  must  be  that  such  hair  and  mustache  are  fatal 
when  such  a  girl  succumbs,"  he  concluded.  Joe  was 
secretly  envious  of  his  lordship's  attractiveness,  es- 
pecially of  the  mustache. 

When  the  evening  was  over  and  all  had  gone  to 
their  rooms,  Agnes  went  and  tapped  at  Joe's  door 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


115 


"What  is  it,  sis?"  he  said  upon  opening  the  door. 

"Oh,  nothing.  I  just  thought  I'd  drop  in  a  little 
while." 

"Well,  I  was  just  thinking  of  dropping  into  bed, 
but  sit  down,  I'm  not  sleepy.  By  Jove,  how  well  Miss 
Herman  looked  to-night!  and  she  seemed  to  be  flat- 
tered by  that — " 

"His  lordship's  attentions, "  Agnes  said  eagerly; 
"and  he  seems  to  be  struck  with  her." 

"He  certainly  wasn't  struck  blind.  Englishmen 
do  lack  in  delicacy." 

"Oh,  Joe,  foreigners  are  as  good  as  our  own  coun- 
trymen. One  always  has  a  weakness  for  one's  own 
country,  but  after  all, a  man's  a  man  wherever  he  is.  " 

"And  a  jackass  is  a  jackass  wherever  he  is,  and 
that's  his  lordship  every  time;  but  patriotism  isn't 
patriotism  when  it  wants  to  swell  in  with  some  other 
country.  She  talks  patriotic  enough  and  I'd  formed 
a  great  opinion  of  her,  but  I'm  cooked  now.  She 
didn't  don  pink  silk  for  us.  Oh,  she'll  prove  herself 
as  conceited  and  as — as — ambitious,  as  they  call  it, 
as  anybody,  after  all.  Yes,  I  am  satisfied  that  she 
will  prove  to  be  utterly  devoid  of  patriotism,  sense 
and  everything  else;  she's  just  an  empty  shell." 

"Oh,  shame  upon  you!  She's  just  the  best  girl  I 
ever  knew.  I  know  she  is  a  little  queer  on  religion 
and  politics,  but  she  has  got  a  good  big  heart  and 
she  would  do  anything  for  a  friend." 

"Oh,  yes.    She's  sharp  enough  to  take  you  in." 

"I  can't  bear  to  hear  you  talk  so  about  her.  You 
don't  know  her  as  I  do.    She  is  going  to — to — »" 

"Well,  to  what?"  - 

"Why,  she's  going  to— to — >" 


116 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"For  God's  sake  Agnes,  can't  you  talk?" 

"Well,  you  know  I  don't  want  to  marry  his  lord- 
ship, and  she  is  going  to  flirt  with  him  and  give  me  a 
chance  to  break  the  engagement.  Oh,  Joe,  she  is 
going  to  marry  him  so  I  won't  have  to." 

"What  a  martyr  she  is!" 

"I  hope  not,  Joe;  I  hope  she  will  fall  in  love  with 
him,  and  I  know  he  will  with  her.  She  is  so  beau- 
tiful he  scarcely  took  his  eyes  off  her  to-night." 

"And  did  you  tell  her  the  secret  of  how  to  keep 
her  face  and  arms  white,  that  she  is  under  such  obli- 
gations to  you?" 

"Why,  don't  you  remember  the  storm,  Joe?  I 
wrote  papa  all  about  it.  I  helped  to  save  Helen's 
life." 

"That  makes  the  thing  a  little  different."  But 
Joe  was  still  doubtful  and  vexed.  Of  course  he  had 
been  fooled,  he  thought.  It  had  seemed  to  him  too 
strange  to  be  true,  that  she  should  be  what  she  pro- 
fessed— any  girl  that  wouldn't  be  mashed  on  that 
hair  and  mustache  was  simply  a  freak. 

Agnes  reassured  him  concerning  the  import  of 
Helen's  actions,  and  went  to  her  room. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Helen  was  perhaps  the  only  one  of  the  party  who 
was  having  a  really  good  time.  Here  she  was  having 
opportunity  to  display  all  of  her  many  phases.  When 
in  a  careless  mood  she  flirted  with  his  lordship;  when 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


117 


thoughtful  she  talked  religion  and  science  with  Sir 
Alfred;  a  patriotic  mood  brought  her  to  talk  politics 
with  the  congressman;  and  when  burning  with  am- 
bition she  found  a  congenial  spirit  in  Joe,  who,  while 
often  disagreeing  with  her,  still  liked  her  comrade- 
ship. 

At  first  Sir  Alfred  was  awfully  bored.  He  thought 
Agnes  a-sweet,  modest  little  woman,  as  became  her, 
but  she  was  supposed  to  be  his  friend's  special  com- 
panion. He  liked  Mrs.  Daniels,  approved  of  her 
care  of  the  young  ladies  and  the  house.  Now.  Mrs. 
Daniels  was  a  hygienist,  very  particular  about  diet 
and  clothing;  was  always  looking  after  the  health  of 
the  household ;  saw  that  the  girls  didn't  put  on  freshly 
ironed  linen  nor  eat  between  meals;  attended  to  the 
ventilation  yet  never  allowed,  a  draught.  In  short, 
she  was  one  of  those  women  who  have  a  bad  stomach 
and  a  vivid  imagination,  and  having  to  regulate  her 
own  diet,  she  simply  couldn't  see  how  anyone  could 
live  and  eat  anything  and  everything.  But  Sir  Alfred 
saw  only  that  she  was  careful  and  prudent.  One 
afternoon  the  young  people,  with  the  exception  of 
his  lordship,  were  seated  in  the  shade  upon  the  lawn. 
That  personage,  thrown  upon  his  own  resources  in 
the  matter  of  making  himself  presentable,  consumed 
a  good  deal  of  time  and  experienced  a  good  deal  of 
trouble  with  his  toilet  ;  and  at  this  time  was  strug- 
gling to  decide  which  would  be  most  becoming,  a 
pale  pink  or  a  creamy  white  necktie. 

"I  don't  object  to  suffrage  so  very  much,"  Sir 
Alfred  was  saying,  "but  with  suffrage  comes  woman 
politicians,  lawyers,  doctors,  preachers,  lecturers, 
usurpers  of  man's  sphere." 


118 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"The  world  is  progressing, "  Helen  said  calmly. 

"Yes,  the  world  is  going—going — mad." 

"Sir  Alfred,  you,  like  thousands  of  others,  under- 
stand that  the  world  is  running  in  a  strange  way, 
but  cannot  see  the  cause.  We  are  going  with  the 
current,  after  a  phantom,  and  though  it  is  but  a 
phantom,  we  could  not  turn  back  if  we  would.  The 
current  grows  stronger  and  more  rapid;  some  are 
floating  idly,  carelessly  along,  bravely  buffeting  the 
waves,  but  the  greater  number  are  grabbing,  crying, 
cursing,  sinking  or  rising  by  pushing  others  under. 
There  is  not  room  for  all;  the  banks  are  narrowing; 
an  eddy  starts  in  the  center;  we  reel  as  if  drunken, 
we  speed  round,  dizzy,  breathless,  faint,  exhausted; 
none  have  gained,  all  have  lost.  And  that  phantom 
is  wealth  and  power." 

"Yes,  that  is  true.  But  the  women  are  largeiy 
responsible  for  the  condition  of  things;  if  they  would 
keep  to  the  shore  and  leave  the  men  to  struggle  with 
the  current,  why — 11 

"What  is  to  be  will  be.  If  you  would  study  the 
Bible,  you  would  see  that  the  world  is  in  just  the 
condition  that  Christ  spoke  of  as  the  time  of  the  end.  " 
Here,  as  if  to  contradict  in  living,  glowing  colors, 
Helen's  dark  prophecy,  his  lordship  appeared  on  the 
scene  fresh  as  a  new  blown  rose  and  certainly  more 
fragrant, a  happy,  careless  smile  on  his  handsome  face. 
Upon  seeing  him  advance  toward  them,  Sir  Alfred 
began  to  gently  swing  the  hammock  Helen  was  oc- 
cupying, reconciling  the  action  with  the  thought 
that  it  wasn't  best  for  his  friend  to  pay  too  much 
attention  to  one  girl  when  betrothed  to  another.  Con- 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


119 


tinning  the  conversation,  though  in  a  gayer  manner, 
he  said,  "Look  here,  Miss-  Herman,  you're  always 
quoting  Scripture  to  prove  your  theories,  and  yet  you 
don't  believe  much  that's  in  the  Bible;  old-fashioned 
hell  and  other  things  that  are  as  plain  as  can  be. 
Your  belief  is  nothing  but  a  theory  that,  like  any 
other  one,  can  be  either  proved  or  disproved  by  the 
Bible." 

"I  know  it  is  but  a  theory.  I  wouldn't  give  two 
cents  for  a  person  without  a  theory;  but  the  thing 
of  it  is,  which  theory  is  the  most  reasonable." 

"Your  argument  sounds  very  reasonable,  Miss  Her- 
man," his  lordship,  who  had  been  listening  a  few 
seconds,  said,  "but  now  let  us  try  some  of  God's  pure 
air  and  sunshine.  What  do  you  say  to  a  race  on  the 
wheels?" 

"Capital, "  Helen  said,  rising  and  excusing  herself. 
A  few  moments  later  they  were  skimming  down  the 
smooth  road.  Helen  wore  her  gymnasium  costume, 
but  his  lordship  either  didn't  notice  it  or  he  didn't 
care. 

"How  I  do  enjoy  bicycling!"  she  said. 

"So  do  I  when  I  have  good  company,  "he  returned, 
guiding  his  wheel  a  little  nearer  her.  Agnes  had 
casually  told  him  of  Helen's  three  millions,  and  this, 
coupled  with  Helen's  charming  personnel,  was  rapidly 
getting  away  with  his  lordship.  He  calculated  in 
his  quiet  moments  to  simply  flirt  with  her  as  was 
his  wont  with  any  young  woman,  but  her  power  over 
him  when  they  were  together  made  his  speech  a 
queer  mixture  of  flattery  and  sincerity. 

"And  I'm  certainly  enjoying  this  ride,"  he  con- 


120 


A  NfeW  WOMAN 


tinued.  "The  exercise  brings  roses  to  your  cheeks 
and  your  eyes  are  like  stars." 

uOh,  Your  Lordship  thinks  he  can  flatter  an  in- 
nocent country  girl." 

u'Pon  my  honor,  no.  Your  innocence  only  makes 
you  that  much  more  lovely  in  the  sight  of  a  gentle- 
man. It's  rarely  we  meet  with  such  charming  sim- 
plicity; and  a  man  whose  every  breath  you  might 
say  has  been  drawn  in  society's  hot-house,  knows 
how  to  appreciate  that  nature  which  is  yet  untainted." 

Helen's  face  was  turned  away.  She  felt  an  almost 
uncontrollable  desire  to  call  him  a  fool,  but,  remem- 
bering her  part,  she  turned  her  face  toward  him, 
beaming  with  the  most  vacant  smile  she  could  muster. 

"My  Lord  has  no  idea  how  much  I  appreciate  his 
candid  expression  of  regard  for  me." 

"A  man  would  be  a  brute  who  would  deceive  such 
innocence  as  yours."  They  rode  in  silence  for  a  few 
minutes  and  then  he  asked  her  if  she  had  ever  been 
to  England. 

"No,"  she  answered,  "I've  never  traveled,  even  in 
my  own  country.  I've  been  in  school  nearly  all  of 
my  life;  and  I'm  an  orphan, and  friendless  girls  like 
myself  have  so  little  chance  to  go  about." 

"But  an  orphan  girl  can  find  a  protector  in  a  hus- 
band as  well  as  a  girl  blessed  with  parents." 

"Well,  I've  never  been  fortunate  or  unfortunate 
enough  to.  But  we  are  a  long  distance  from  home. 
Hadn't  we  better  turn  back?"  And  during  the  re- 
mainder of  the  trip  Helen  adroitly  kept  the  conversa- 
tion upon  the  topic  of  scenery,  allowing  nothing  but 
the  lightest  sort  of  flirtation. 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


121 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

Helen  boasted  the  understanding  of  a  vast  num- 
ber of  subjects,  but  she  was  beginning  to  wonder  if 
she  understood  herself.  Her  whole  life  had  been 
spent  in  dreams  of  ambition,  of  glory,  and  she  had 
always  looked  upon  society  as  the  amusement  of  fools 
and  of  course  not  for  her.  She  had  never  known  but 
two  people  with  whom  she  could  really  affiliate, 
Cleonice  and  an  old  man,  a  recluse  scholar  in  her 
own  home,  until  now,  when  she  found  the  society  of 
each  one  of  the  party  enjoyable.  She  liked  the  light, 
frivolous  nature  of  Lord  Avon,  when  he  talked  of 
something  other  than  herself,  and  even  his  adoration 
of  her,  which  was  becoming  evident  to  everybody, 
interested  her  when  she  thought  how  well  her  scheme 
was  working.  She  liked  to  slip  into  the  library  when 
the  host  was  at  home  and  tease  him  on  politics  until 
he  would  put  her  out  bodily  and  lock  the  door.  And 
Sir  Alfred — well,  she  never  feigned  headache  when 
he  asked  her  to  walk  or  ride,  nor  ever  overslept  when 
challenged  by  him  to  a  six  o'clock  game  of  croquet. 
But  it  was  with  Joe  that  she  felt  most  like  herself. 
After  they  had  had  a  long  confidential  talk  about 
their  ambitions,  she  would  feel  herself  equal  to  any- 
thing;  and  in  her  own  room  would  sing,  dance,  de- 
claim and  execute  high  tragedy  with  even  more  than 
her  old-time  gusto.  Upon  one  such  occasion  as  she 
was  reciting  her  favorite  portion  of  the  Iliad,  where 
the  haughty  Atrides  demands  Achilles  to  surrender 
Briseis,it  popped  into  her  head  to  dramatize  the  Iliad. 


122 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"And  I  mustn't  moon  much  longer, "  she  said  aloud, 
and  fell  to  calculating  how  much  longer  it  would 
take  to  effect  Agnes'  release.  She  felt  provoked  at 
herself  for  entering  into  such  an  agreement.  "Wast- 
ing time  when  I  know  my  power.  My  teacher  assured 
me  that  I  had  'the  voice  that  all  modes  of  passion 
could  express,'  and  I  can,  oh,  I  can — "  here  her 
thoughts  became  too  ecstatic  for  utterance  as  she 
again  indulged  in  the  ambitious  dreams  of  the  nat- 
ural actor. 

"I'll  look  for  a  position  right  away  and  go  as  soon 
as  I  can.  It's  pleasant  here,  but  it's  too  enervating, " 
she  had  decided,  when  happening  to  look  out  of  the 
window  she  saw  Sir  Alfred  sitting  alone  on  the  lawn. 
Recalling  an  interrupted  conversation  on  Darwin- 
ism in  which  she  had  not  time  to  make  herself  clear, 
she,  after  rearranging  her  hair  and  donning  fresh 
flowers,  joined  him. 

At  that  moment  Agnes  was  giving  her  aunt,  who 
was  subject  to  a  nervous  dizzy  headache,  an  ice  water 
treatment.  "Wouldn't  it  be  nice,  Agnes,"  said  Mrs. 
Daniels,  as  she  saw  Sir  Alfred  rise  to  give  Helen  the 
hammock,  "if  they  would  fall  in  love?" 

"Oh,Auntie,do  you  think  they  will?"  Agnes  asked, 
trying  to  conceal  her  anxiety. 

"There  is  a  possibility,"  Mrs.  Daniels  returned 
complacently.  "He  is  a  very  fine  man'  and  it  would 
be  very  fortunate  for  her  to  get  any  one  of  his  age  and 
judgment.  She  is  attractive  and  sensible  in  some 
ways,  but  is  young  and  has  never  had  the  care  of  a 
mother.  I  do  wish  she  would  wear  a  night-cap ;  can't 
you  persuade  her  to?  Jennie  says  she  draws  her  bed 


A  XEW  WOMAN 


128 


right  up  to  the  window  and  Bleeps  with  her  head 
against  the  screen;  why  she  doesn't  catch  her  death 
of  cold.  I  can't  see.    Girls  are  so  imprudent." 

"But  he  is  so  much  older.'-  Agnes  remonstrated. 

"Yes.  but  when  men  reach  his  age, unmarried, they 
nearly  always  marry  young  women,  which  isn't  al- 
ways prudent  in  the  man,  but  very  fortunate  for  the 
girl.  I  think  if  there  is  anything  disgusting,  it's  to 
see  very  young  people  marry,  for  what  do  they  know 
about  taking  care  of  children  or  living  on  their  in- 
come? But  Sir  Alfred  and  his  lordship  are  about  the 
same  age.  I  should  judge,  and  Helen  is  older  than 
you.    Have  you  decided  about  your  dress  yet?-" 

"No,  not  yet.  Please  don't  worry  about  it;  there 
is  plenty  of  time.  If  your  head  is  better.  Auntie,  I 
believe  I  will  go  out  in  the  open  air." 

"Go  on,  dear,  but  throw  something  light  over  your 
shoulders  and  take  something  to  Helen.  That  great 
maple  throws  such  a  shade  that  it  is  positively  chilly 
under  it. " 

Agnes,  whose  anxiety  was  increased  by  seeing  Sir 
Alfred  gently  swinging  the  hammock,  was  glad  of 
this  excuse  to  break  up  the  tete-a-tete:  so.  picking 
up  a  cashmere  shawl  for  herself  and  a  flimsy  lace 
scarf  for  Helen. she  joined  them  only  to  find  them  ar- 
guing upon  evolution. 

"But  Darwin  demonstrates  everything  so  clearly.  " 
Sir  Alfred  was  saying. 

"Yes.  I  know  he  does,  and  I  can  readily  see  how 
a  skeptical  person  would  accept  his  theory  unques- 
tioned. 

"But  he  has  left  no  room  for  question." 


124 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"No,  not  if  one  accepts  his  premise.  But  the  idea 
that  everything  started  from  one  of  four  forms  of  life 
is  absurd  to  me.  Now,  a  thousand  primary  forms  are 
as  easy  to  suppose  as  four  or  just  one.  Don't  you 
think  he  begs  the  question?" 

"Then  you  think  Darwin  and  Wallace  spent  their 
whole  lives  concocting  an  illogical  theory?" 

"I  think  if  we  study  the  Bible  we  find  something 
much  more  simple,  reasonable  and  that  which  satis- 
fies the  heart. " 

"But  there  is  as  great,  yes,  greater  diversity  of 
opinions  in  regard  to  Bible  teachings  than  there  are 
differences  among  scientists." 

Sir  Alfred  knew  nothing  about  the  Bible  and  really 
cared  nothing  about  Darwinism,  but  he  availed  him- 
self of  every  opportunity  to  talk  with  Helen  on  any 
subject. 

"But  one  can't  estimate  the  worth  of  the  Bible 
from  simply  an  intellectual  standpoint,"  she  re- 
joined. "Its  truths  must  be  experienced,  just  as  we 
put  our  arithmetical  training  into  practice  to  under- 
stand it  fully.  Fractions  nearly  drove  me  crazy  when 
a  child;  they  were  simply  inexplicable  until  I  was 
sent  marketing;  and  geometry  and  surveying  are 
misty  to  me  yet,  just  because  I  can't  go  out  with 
tripod  and  chain.  When  one  looks  about  and  notes 
how  man  is  conquering  everything  and  making  even 
electricity  serve  his  purpose,  and  especially  when  an 
individual  studies  his  own  abilities  and  powers,  he 
sees  that  it  is  true  that  God  placed  him  at  the  head 
of  his  creation  to  have  dominion  over  all  things. 
Yet  there  are  some  who  believe,  or  profess  to  believe, 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


125 


that  man  came  up  from  amoebae.  Truly  'they  strain 
at  a  gnat  and  swallow  a  camel. '  But  then  it  is  the 
easiest  thing  in  the  world  to  be  skeptical.  I  used  to 
be."  Sir  Alfred  smiled.  "But  I  was  finally  con- 
vinced, not  by  scholarly  argument  nor  in  a  revival 
meeting — "    Here  Helen  paused 

"But  how  were  you  convinced?"  Sir  Alfred  asked. 

"Such  incidents  have  been  related  in  the  pulpit 
until  people  have  grown  to  think  lightly  of  them, 
but  this  I  saw  with  my  own  eyes  and  not  only  that, 
but  felt  it  in  my  soul."  Helen's  manner  was  so 
earnest  and  her  voice  so  low  and  clear,  that  her 
listeners  were  deeply  moved.  "I  once  stood  by 
the  deathbed  of  a  young  and  beautiful  girl,  and 
just  a  few  moments  before  she  died  her  pale,  wan  face 
became  so  strangely  radiant,  her  eyes  so  luminous 
and  wondrously  beautiful,  that  we  stood  breathless 
with  expectation.  Well,  I  can  not  describe;  it  is 
beyond  words.  The  skeptic  might  say  it  was  the  last 
effort  of  nature,  just  as  the  candle  will  blaze  up  just 
before  it  goes  out,  but  we  who  stood  beside  her  real- 
ized that  we  looked  upon  the  soul's  awakening." 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

Sir  Alfred  found  himself  strangely  attracted  to 
Helen.  Her  variegated  nature  was  an  ever-increas- 
ing wonder  and  delight  to  him  who  had  grown  dis- 
trustful of  nearly  everything.  But 

"  The  thickest  ice  that  ever  froze 
Can  only  o'er  the  surface  close, 
The  quickening  stream  still  Aoavs  beneath." 


126 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


He  began  to  think  that  there  were  women  in  the 
world,  who,  if  not  of  the  trusting,  confiding,  Alice 
Darvil  sort,  were  yet  true  women  with  pure,  noble 
sentiments.  Yet,  while  he  admired  Helen  in  her 
argumentative  moods,  'twas  in  her  lighter  role  that 
he  most  loved  her.  And  his  lordship  was  fairly  dis- 
tracted. Three  million  dollars  that  could  be  had  for 
the  asking,  and  a  lovely  girl  thrown  in;  an  orphan, 
too,  without  a  brother  to  treat  him  half  disdain- 
fully, or  a  father  to  suspect  him  of  being  a  fortune 
hunter  and  a  libertine!  But  his  environment  aggra- 
vated him  awfully.  Of  course  he  could  not  claim 
any  of  Helen's  time,  but  just  had  to  trust  to  happy 
intervals  and  lucky  chance ;  and  such  were  all  too 
rare,  even  when  he  was  ready  to  improve  them.  Oh, 
how  he  missed  Adams!  for  looking  after  his  clothes, 
going  every  morning  to  the  village  to  be  shaved,  and 
struggling  before  the  mirror  to  make  himself  pre- 
sentable, took  so  much  time  that  he  felt  himself  not 
"in  it"  like  the  others;  he  was  jealous  of  Sir  Alfred, 
jealous  of  the  supercilious  Joe,  and  even  jealous  of 
his  genial  host. 

One  day  when  he  was  trying  with  nervous  fingers  to 
girt  his  snow-white  trousers  to  just  the  right  length, 
he  heard  Helen's  laughter  and  Sir  Alfred's  voice 
below.  He  gave  way  to  profuse  perspiration  and  red- 
hot  regrets.  Something  of  relief  came  to  him,  how- 
ever, when  he  ascertained  that  the  whole  household, 
including  Mrs.  Daniels,  with  head  bundled  up,  se- 
cure against  a  possible  draught,  were  upon  the 
lawn. 

"The  day  of  flowery  oratory  is  past, "  the  con- 
gressman was  saying. 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


127 


"Yes,  we  have  come  to  the  day  and  age  of  the 
world  when  things  must  be  said  and  done  simply  and 
quickly,"  Sir  Alfred  rejoined. 

"And  the  man  who  soars  on  the  pinions  of  the 
wind  is  a  dolt,"  interposed  Joe. 

"I  don't  agree  with  any  of  you,"  Helen  said.  She 
always  wanted  to  have  her  say.  "We  don't  admire 
the  simple  things  of  life;  it's  the  display,  the  splen- 
dor, the  pageantry;  that  which  delights  the  senses. 
We  admire  the  smooth,  prepossessing  rascal  more 
than  a  common  every-day  villain.   Now,  don't  we?" 

"It  isn't  the  villain,  but  his  graces  that  charm 
us,"  Agnes  said,  half  timidly. 

"But  all  of  our  best  writers,  whether  of  prose  or 
of  poetry,  have  soared  in  imagery  and  flowery  lan- 
guage. Look  at  the  Iliad,  the  grandest  of  all  poetry; 
reduce  it  to  simple  language  and  would  it  appeal  to 
us  as  it  does  now?  Take  some  of  Byron's  poetry,  for 
instance  this: 

"  'Thou  glorious  mirror!  where  the  Almighty's  form 

Glasses  itself  in  tempests ;  in  all  time 
Calm  or  convulsed — in  breeze  or  gale  or  storm, 

Icing  the  pole  or  in  the  torrid  clime, 

Dark,  heaving,  boundless,  endless  and  sublime, 
The  image  of  eternity — the  throne 

Of  the  Invisible ;  even  from  out  thy  slime 
The  monsters  of  the  deep  are  made ;  each  one 
Obeys  thee— thou  goest  forthsdread,fathomless,alone.' 

Reduce  that  to  simple  language  and  see  if  it  means 
the  same." 

"But  that  is  poetry,"  our  congressman  said. 
"Yes,  and  I  don't  like  to  hear  anything  said  in  a 
plain  way  that  can  be  rendered  poetically.  Our  lives 


128 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


are  too  prosy.  I  think  we  would  do  well  to  cultivate 
poetry  in  both  thought  and  speech." 

"You  are  right  in  one  way,  Miss  Herman,"  the 
host  answered.  "We  are  not  exactly  prosy,  but  we 
lack  sentiment.  Sentiment  is  dubbed  'gush'  to-day. 
Oh,  the  whole  world  is  wrong  somewhere.  There's 
a  mighty  big  screw  loose  somewhere,  and  the  machin- 
ery is  rattling  away  at  a  terrible  speed.  The  world 
is—"  Here  he  looked  at  his  watch,  sprang  up  sud- 
denly, and  taking  Joe  to  one  side  whispered,  "Jump 
on  your  wheel,  Joe,  and  hurry  to  town ;  the  market 
closed  fifteen  minutes  ago.  Be  quick;  I'll  stand 
here  at  the  gate. " 

Here  Mrs.  Daniels,  seeing  a  chance  to  leave  Helen 
and  Sir  Alfred  together,  arose  and  went  into  the 
house,  and  a  moment  later  called  the  reluctant  Ag- 
nes. Poor  Lord  Avon,  who  had  just  succeeded  in 
getting  one  trouser  leg  just  right,  must  yet  fix  the 
other  one  and  arrange  his  tie!  How  could  he  know 
that  they  were  talking  only  economics? 

"It's  a  very  difficult  question,"  continued  Helen. 
"The  wrong  is  in  our  hearts;  we  are  hard-hearted 
and  selfish. " 

"Because  a  man  occupies  himself  in  making  money, 
looking  after  his  financial  affairs,  he  is  hard-hearted 
and  selfish,  is  he?  And  yet  I've  heard  you  say  you 
despise  a  lazy  fellow,  me,  for  instance,"  Sir  Alfred 
said,  smiling,  but  watching  her  face. 

"I  don't  like  to  see  a  man  put  his  every  thought 
and  energy  into  making  a  fortune.  He  ought  to 
think  some  upon  other  things,  I  don't  care  what,  but 
something  that  will  mark  him  as  a  man  with  thoughts 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


129 


and  feelings.    I  despise  a  man  who  is  merely  a  ma- 
chine to  make  money." 

"But  we  all  bow  down  to  the  rich  man." 

"We  do  not.  Maybe  you  do  over  in  England,  but 
it  is  not  so  here  in  Democratic  America.  Our  rich 
men  are  just  now  being  censured  for  reducing  the 
wages  of  their  employees." 

"It  is  common  in  all  countries  for  a  man  to  hire 
cheap  labor. " 

"Yes,  I  know  that.  We  will  pay  a  dollar  if  we 
must,  but  will  get  the  same  work  done  for  twenty- 
five  cents  if  possible.  And  yet  the  conditions  of  the 
late  strikers  is  comfort  itself  compared  with  other 
classes, — the  women  employed  in  sweaters'  estab- 
lishments and  the  children  in  the  crowded  factories. " 

"Well,  Miss  Herman,  we  must  take  into  consider- 
ation the  worth  of  these  laborers.  Isn't  it  the  truth 
that  merit  wins?  These  people  are  mere  machines. 
If  they  wrere  worth  more  they  would  rise  higher. 
Isn't  it  true  that  a  bright  boy  will  begin  work  as 
an  office  boy  and  rise  to  be  a  member  of  the  firm? 
You  see  he  has  true  worth,  and  makes  himself  in- 
dispensable to  his  employers.  But  these  poor,  mis- 
erable wretches  of  whom  you  speak,  must  either  live 
and  die  on  the  pittances  they  receive  or  rise  and 
prove  themselves  worthy. " 

"It  is  like  placing  a  man  in  a  skiff  in  the  middle 
of  the  Pacific,  and  expecting  him  to  get  to  shore.  One 
out  of  a  million  might  succeed,  but  starvation,  the  - 
hurricane,  and  torture  and  death  at  the  hands  of 
savages,  would  be  the  common  fate.  Sir  Alfred,  you 
are  a  scholar, — a  well-read  man.    Is  it  possible  that 


130 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


you  are  blind  to  the  conditions  as  they  are  to-day? 
Can't  you  see  the  signs  of  the  times  point  to  some- 
.  thing — to  the  last  great  day  when  Christ's  Kingdom 
shall  be  set  up  on  earth?"  Helen  said  in  deep  ear- 
nestness, but  seeing  a  faint  smile  flickering  over  the 
face  of  her  companion,  she  leaned  back,  clasped  her 
hands  above  her  head  and  defiantly  said,  "Laugh 
right  out,  Sir  Alfred,  I  don't  mind  it  at  all." 

"Thank  you  for  according  me  the  privilege,  but  I 
don't  care  to  take  advantage  of  it.  You  see  a  man 
of  my  age  has  heard  all  sorts  of  theories  for  the  re- 
demption of  the  human  race.  There  are  all  sorts  of 
enthusiasts,  but  you  are  the  first  young  woman  I've 
ever  known  to  go  so  deeply,  and  I  must  say,  with 
such  sincerity  of  purpose,  into  such  schemes.  I've 
heard  middle-aged  and  old  women,  and  disappointed 
men  talk  such  things;  one  of  their  favorite  notions 
being  to  divide  up  the  wealth  into  equal  portions. 
But  the  time  has  never  been,  and  I  think  never  will 
be,  when  men  will  be  dictated  to  as  to  how  they  will 
spend  their  money,  or  as  to  what  they  will  do  with 
their  own  possessions. " 

•'That  idea  has  not  held  good  in  the  past." 

"How  so?" 

"Why,  England  once  owned  the  American  colonies, 
but  she  failed  to  do  as  she  pleased  with  them.  I  should 
think  that  an  immortal  precedent. " 

"That  was  a  great  political  question." 

"But  so  is  the  capital  and  labor  question  becoming 
national,  yes,  an  international  question.  "  Just  as 
negro  slavery  was  put  down,  so  will  the  bondage  of 
the  white  laborers      lake])  in  hand  and.  abolished." 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


131 


Sir  Alfred  floundered  and  positively  blushed.  No 
man  likes  to  be  beaten  by  a  woman.  But  Sir  Alfred 
would  not  acknowledge  himself  beaten,  even  to  him- 
self, and,  feeling  rather  short  of  off-hand  arguments, 
besought  to  side-track  the  discussion  by  remarking  in 
a  careless  way,  "Well,  I  don't  care  to  worry  myself 
about  it;  I'll  leave  it  to  older  and  wiser  heads  than 
mine. " 

Helen  understood  the  insinuation.  It  raised  her 
temper  and  she  wanted  to  stab  back.  "I  am  very 
sure  that  the  cause  will  never  miss  you,"  she  said 
sweetly. 

Sir  Alfred  writhed  inwardly.  It  was  strange  to 
him  how  the  words  of  this  little  girl,  as  he  had  first 
considered  her,  could  affect  him.  But  a  moment 
since  he  had  thrilled  with  pride  that  she  had  con- 
sidered him  scholarly,  and  now  his  heart  ached.  And 
here,  to  add  to  his  misery,  his  lordship,  fresh  and 
handsome,  came  upon  the  scene  and  took  Helen  for 
a  ride. 

"Do  you  know  yet  where  they  are  going  to  take  us 
for  the  summer?"  Helen  asked,  as  they  wheeled 
along. 

"No;  I  think,  though,  it  will  be  Saratoga.  Are 
you  getting  tired  of  the  country?  You  are  certainly 
not  as  happy  as  I  am  or  you  would  not  even  hint 
at  such  a  thing. " 

"Oh,  I  am  happy  here.  They  are  all  so  kind.  Mrs. 
Daniels  takes  the  liveliest  interest  in  me,  health  and 
all ;  Agnes  is  like  a  sister,  Mr.  Easton  is  like  a  father; 
Joe  is  devoted  and  your  friend  is  very  nice  to  me." 

"And  hsVenH  you  one  poor  little  word  for  me?" 


132 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


His  lordship  asked  dejectedly.  And  Helen, recalling 
his  gifts  of  bon-bons,  his  little  polite  services,  and 
also  remembering  her  part,  said,  "I  didn't  say  any- 
thing in  praise  of  you,  my  lord,  because  I  simply 
can't  express  my  thanks  to  you  in  words— oh,  I  mean 
I  can't  express  my  thanks  at  all,"  sl\p  quickly  ex- 
plained, feeling  a  little  guilty.  "But  I'm  in  for  it; 
I  don't  have  to  marry  him  and  it's  for  Agnes'  wel- 
fare," she  said  mentally.  "I  wish  I  could  show  my 
admiration  for  you  in  either  words  or  acts." 

His  lordship  sighed.  Gay,  good-natured  Lord 
Avon  was  quite  upset.  "Dear  Miss  Herman,  I  was 
grieved  at  you  the  other  day ;  I  really  was,  but  per- 
haps I  misunderstood  you.  One  so  just  and  good 
and  noble  as  you  could  not  believe  such  a  thing." 

"Why,  what  was  it?" 

"You  were  talking  with  the  young  Mr.  Easton.  I 
wasn't  eavesdropping,  but  I  thought  I  heard  you 
declare  against  the  marriage  of  your  countrymen 
with  foreigners.  Why,  I  think  all  homage  is  due 
the  American  woman  who  leaves  all,  her  country, 
her  parents  and  friends,  to  follow  the  man  of  her 
choice  to  Spain,  to  France,  to  dear  old  England. 
I  hope  you  are  not  like  the  woman  who  said  that  she 
could  be  convinced,  but  she'd  like  to  see  the  man 
who  could  convince  her." 

Conquering  her  disgust  she  ventured,  "I  have  never 
yet  met  the  man  who  cared  to  trouble  himself  enough 
about  me,  to  try  to  convince  me." 

His  lordship  was  almost  desperate;  he  talked  about 
'merciless  fate'  and  groaned  audibly.  Helen  was 
greatly  relieved  at  their  nearing  home,  which  caused 
his  lordship  to  regain  his  composure. 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


133 


That  night  Agnes  followed  Helen  to  her  room. 
When  the  door  was  closed  and  they  were  alone  Agnes 
threw  her  arms  around  her  friend's  neck  and  ex- 
claimed," "Bless  your  dear  heart,  you  are  a  friend 
indeed;  and  if  I  were  at  all  in  love  I  should  be  furi- 
ously jealous.  I  am  going  to  give  back  this  ring  to- 
morrow. He  adores  you;  oh,  Helen;  I'm  almost 
ashamed  to  say  so,  but  he  never  treated  me  one-half 
so  nice  as  he  does  you.  I  could  almost  believe  he 
never  did  care  for  me,  and  yet  he  must  have;  oh,  I 
can't  understand  it  all." 

"Do  you  know  where  we  are  going  for  the  sum- 
mer?" 

"No,  papa  will  decide  in  a  day  or  two.  For  my 
part  I  don't  care  much  where  we  go,  but  Aunt  Kate 
thinks  the  water  at  Saratoga  beneficial.  I'll  just 
tell  you  the  truth,  Helen;  I  like  fun  and  want  to 
have  a  good  time,  but  Saratoga  is  a  bad  place.  Why, 
nearly  everybody  drinks  and  gambles,  and  you  mix 
with  everybody,  good,  bad  and  indifferent  ;  you  must 
sit  at  tables  with  women  you  would  not  speak  to  at 
home. " 

"I  know  it  isn't  pleasant,  but  that's  the  very  place 
to  set  an  example." 

"You  might  as  well  throw  a  reed  into  the  Missis- 
sippi to  obstruct  its  progress.  And  you  can  scarcely 
brace  yourself,  much  less  tower  in  strength.  I  tell 
you  the  wickedness  is  positively  contagious." 

"Will  your  father  be  there  with  us?" 

"I  hope  so,  at  least  for  a  part  of  the  time.  Isn't 
it  awful  that  congress  must  be  in  session  all  sum- 
mer?" 


i34 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"It's  awful  that  men  of  the  same  party,  elected 
on  the  same  ticket,  will  pull  and  haul  in  different 
directions, when  they  are  honor  bound  to  work  for 
the  same  things.  When  women  go  to  congress  they'll 
work  for  principle  regardless  of  personal  interests. 
Honestly,  Agnes,  don't  you  ever  wish  that  you  could 
fill  some  office  of  public  trust?" 

"No,  not  exactly.  I  think  we  have  as  good  a  chance 
to  do  good  by  using  our  influence  in  other  things. 
I  have  sometimes  thought  I  would  like  to  be  married 
and  go  to  Saratoga  to  show  other  women  that  one 
woman  could  think  more  of  her  own  husband  than 
of  some  other  woman's." 

"That  is  right  enough,  Agnes,  but  every  married 
woman  can  do  that,  and  so  few  women  hold  offices 
of  trust." 

"Well,  let  women  who  are  capable  of  holding 
office,  and  who  wish  to,  do  so,  but  as  for  me,  I  don't 
crave  any  such  distinction.  It  is  different  with  you, 
Helen.  I  would  like  to  see  you  happily  married,  as 
you  surely  will  be  soon,  but  still  I  think  you  capable 
of  other  things,  I  must  go  now  and  not  keep  you 
up  any  longer. " 

A  feAV  minutes  after  she  had  gone,  Helen  received 
a  note  which  read: 

"I  challenge  you  to  a  game  of  croquet  at  half  past 
six  in  the  morning.    Don't  fail  me.  Gates." 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


135 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

The  next  morning  Helen  awakened  before  six  and 
rose  immediately.  More  than  once  while  she  was 
dressing  did  she  peep  out  from  behind  the  shade, 
and  it  wasn't  long  until  she  saw  Sir  Alfred  emerge 
from  the  hall  door  and  go  toward  the  croquet  ground. 
At  fifteen  minutes  past  six  she  was  ready  and  sat 
do^Yn  to  read,  but  five  minutes  of  time  seemed  an 
age,  and  so  a  little  earlier  than  the  appointed  hour 
she  joined  him  below. 

"Good  morning,  Miss  Herman.  So  you  concluded 
to  give  me  a  game,  did  you?  I  was  awfully  afraid 
you  would  prefer  to  sleep." 

"I  will  give  you  a  chance  for  a  game, "she  said, as 
she  took  the  mallet  he  held  out  to  her. 

"That  is  all  I  want,"  he  returned,  letting  his  hand 
slide  down  the  handle  and  cover  hers.  Here  this  self- 
willed,  ambitious  young  woman  who  thought  love  a 
weakness,  blushed  as  red  as  the  roses  at  her  throat, 
stammered, but  did  not  try  to  free  her  hand.  "Would 
you  like  to  have  my  mallet  as  well  as  your  own?" 
she  finally  managed  to  say. 

"Oh,  no."  he  said,  releasing  her,  and  the  game 
began.  The  conversation  was  a  little  strained  at 
first, until  they  fell  to  talking  about  where  the  party 
would  spend  the  summer. 

"Miss  Easton  told  me  last  night  that  she  thought 
her  father  would  decide  this  week.  Lord  Avon  pre- 
fers Newport,  but  Mrs.  Daniels  would  rather  go  to 
Saratoga.    Nobody  else  seems  to  care." 


136 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"Have  you  no  preference?"  he  asked,  and  looked 
at  her  while  he  tried  to  send  the  ball  through  the 
basket. 

"I  want  to  go  where  there  will  be  the  most  good 
theaters." 

"But  there  won't  be  any  theaters  anywhere  during 
the  summer." 
"What?" 

"There  aren't  any  theaters  anywhere  during  the 
summer. " 
"Why?" 

"All  good  players  rest  during  the  hot  weather  like 
other  people.  Sometimes  a  cheap  troupe  stays  on 
the  road,  but  the  artists  are  off  recuperating." 

"Then  what  on  earth  do  people  amuse  themselves 
with  at  watering  places?" 

"At  Long  Branch  they  bathe,  go  to  church,  play 
games  and  dance.  At  Newport  they  do  the  same, 
and  at  Saratoga  they  go  to  the  races  and  bet  instead 
of  bathe,  dance,  drink,  play  games  and  flirt;  at  least 
I  have  heard  so  from  my  friend,  who  has  visited  all 
the  principal  summer  resorts  here.  This  is  my  first 
stay  in  America,  and  it  was  with  reluctance  that  I 
agreed  to  come  this  time,  but  I'm  glad  now  that  I 
did;  I  wouldn't  have  missed  it  for  a  fortune,"  and 
he  looked  at  her  again  and  missed  the  stake.  "So 
you  haven't  gone  about  much,  it  seems." 

"No,  I've  never  been  anywhere  but  in  school.  I've 
never  heard  any  good  actors." 

"Several  American  artists  are  spending  the  season 
in  England. " 

"Playing?" 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


137 


"No,  just  traveling  and  having  a  good  time.  They 
seem  to  prefer  our  society  and  scenery.  American 
women  like  England." 

"Yes,  and  not  to  their  credit,"  Helen  said  decid- 
edly, trying  to  be  true  to  her  ideas  of  patriotism. 

"How  so?" 

"Why,  it's  disgusting  for  Americans  to  spend  half 
their  time  in  other  countries.  I  intend  to  travel, 
but  I  shall  do  my  own  country  first,  and  return  to  it 
gladly  after  seeing  the  sights  elsewhere.  She's  faulty 
enough,  Heaven  knows,  but  she's  the  very  best  of  a 
bad  lot." 

"When  do  you  intend  to  travel?" 

"Just  as  soon  as  I  am  of  age  and  get  control  of  my 
own  property. " 

"And  get  a  husband,"  Sir  Alfred  said,  missing 
the  stake  for  the  third  time. 

"Yes." 

Sir  Alfred  was  nonplussed.  His  face  grew  very 
sober  and  he  finally  said,  "Pardon  me,  Miss  Her- 
man, but  I  was  not  aware  that  you  were  contemplat- 
ing matrimony." 

"Well,  I'm  not  and  don't  intend  to." 

"I  hope  you  are  not  of  the  class  who  are  crying 
down  matrimony." 

"No,  I'm  not  of  that  class,  at  least  not  that  I 
know  of,  for  I  don't  know  of  any  such,  except  as  I 
read  of  them.  But  to-day  woman's  chief  aim  is  not 
marriage,  as  it  used  to  be.  We  are  taught  to  think  of 
other  things.'-' 

"Yes,  they  are  being  trained  to  stifle  nature,"  he 
almost  snapped.  "They  are  taught  to  make  prudent 


138 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


marriages,  to  look  at  the  financial  status  of  a  suitor 
instead  of  at  his  mind  and  heart." 

"It  strikes  me  that  a  good  many  women  are  mar- 
ried to  men  who  are  bankrupt  in  every  way.  And 
from  the  number  of  divorces,  one  would  judge  that 
nature  had  been  having  its  own  way;  people  must 
have  been  listening  to  their  hearts  instead  of  being 
guided  by  common  sense." 

Helen's  sarcasm  seemed  insult  added  to  injury  and 
he  broke  into  a  series  of  expostulations  that  he  would 
have  readily  seen  to  be  illogical  and  inconsistent  in 
any  one  else.  "No,  nature  was  all  right  in  the  first 
place;  nature  was  all  right;  the  heart  was  all  right. 
They  were  led  away  by  their  ambitions;  they  go  after 
your  phantom  riches  and  power,  the  two  principal 
producers  of  corruption.  True  nature  is  all  right 
after  it  has  received  its  education  and  polish ;  it's 
the  counterfeit  natures  that  are  making  the  trouble. 
The  rough  and  gross  are  being  veneered  and  mixed 
in  with  the  naturally  refined.  Fifty  years  ago  things 
were  not  as  they  are  to-day." 

"Haven't  I  been  telling  you  so  all  along?  Things 
are  coming  to  a  climax  and  the  'end  is  nigh,  even 
at  the  doors!'  Oh,  can't  you  see?  but  no,  'you  have 
eyes,  but  you  see  not,  ears  and  you  hear  not,'"  Helen 
said  hopelessly. 

"I've  eyes  that  can  see.and  a  heart  that  can  feel,  " 
he  said,  looking  longingly  at  her. 

But  Helen  wTith  the  greatest  indifference  rolled  her 
ball  around  and  began  a  new  game.  Sir  Alfred 
dropped  his  ball  in  place  and  struck  it  with  such 
vengeance  that  it  rolled  clear  through  the  central 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


139 


arches  and  struck  the  lower  stake  with  a  pop.  ''Ed- 
ucation is  the  ruin  of  the  world  instead  of  its  re- 
demption. The  higher  education  is  responsible  for 
the  attitude  of  women  toward  marriages  and  has  dis- 
satisfied her  with  home  life." 

"I  know,"  Helen  said,  her  tone  as  sweet  as  sugared 
gooseberries,  "I  know  there  are  some  who  honestly 
think  that  women  should  not  receive  the  higher  ed- 
ucation, but  that  we  should  spend  our  lives  quietly 
within  the  four  walls  of  home  in  perfect  contentment. 
That  may  have  been  very  well  when  men  belonged 
to  that  order  known  as  'Nature's  noblemen,'  but 
now*  when  men  are  corrupt,  from  tramp  to  President, 
and  when  most  of  them  shift  the  responsibility  of 
making  a  living  upon  their  wives,  things  are  differ- 
ent.   Somebody's  got  to  take  hold  of  affairs  and 
straighten  them  out.    The  poverty  question  is  star- 
ing this  nation  in  the  face  and  the  men  won't  or 
can't  remedy  the  matter.  Those  in  power  won't  even 
consider  it.    The  women  must  come  to  the  front  if 
ouv  nation  is  to  stand,  and  they  must  fit  themselves 
for  positions  of  trust  and  not  enter  into  any  'entan- 
gling alliances. '" 

Sir  Alfred  was  in  a  perfect  rage.  To  be  preached 
at  like  this  when  he  was  on  the  point  of  proposing! 
His  face  was  flushed,  and  he  played  as  if  he  wanted 
to  smash  everything,  but  Helen,  perfectly  calm, 
seeming  not  to  notice  his  actions,  stood  waiting  her 
turn.  Just  at  this  critical  moment  his  lordship's  curls 
hove  in  sight.  Helen's  face  wreathed  in  smiles,  and 
Sir  Alfred,  dropping  his  mallet,  hurried  to  her,  and 
said,  "It  is  necessary  for  me  to  go  to  town  this  fore- 
noon.   Would  you  care  to  bear  me  company?" 


140 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


Helen  had  maintained  her  ground  so  far  with  only- 
one  blush  to  prove  that  she  was  woman,  and  she 
determined  to  show  no  weakness  at  the  last  moment; 
so  looking  up,  but  not  into  his  face,  replied,  "I  must 
go  to  town  this  forenoon  myself,  as  I  have  an  ap- 
pointment with  my  dressmaker,  but  I  promised  his 
lordship  last  night  that  I  would  go  with  him." 

"So  I  suppose  you  will  devote  the  remainder  of 
the  day  to  him.  " 

"Oh,  no,  just  the  forenoon.  I  am  going  to  the 
woods  with  Joe  this  afternoon,  and  you  know  our 
host  arrives  this  evening." 

"Good  morning,  Miss  Herman.  You  folks  are  out 
fearfully  early,  aren't  you?"  hailed  his  lordship. 

"Yes,  I've  just  been  giving  your  friend  a  lesson  in 
croquet.  It  seems  as  if  he  doesn't  understand  it  very 
well." 

"Neither  do  I;  give  me  lessons.  I  like  croquet 
because  it  can  be  played  by  two." 

"Well,  sometime,  but  we  must  go  in  to  breakfast 
now. " 

In  a  short  time  his  lordship,  Helen  and  Agnes 
started  to  town,  leaving  Sir  Alfred  to  either  endure 
Joe  or  amuse  himself.  His  lordship,  while  not  really 
slighting  Agries,  was  so  profusely  gallant  to  Helen 
that  both  girls  felt  that  the  time  to  break  had  come, 
and  Agnes  began  nerving  herself  for  the  ordeal. 

After  dinner  Joe  brought  out  the  wheels,  and  very 
important  he  felt  as  he  led  Helen  past  the  English 
guests. 

"You  have  been  away  a  good  deal  lately,  I  hardly 
ever  see  you,"  said  Helen. 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


141 


''Yes,  but  I'll  be  at  home  most  of  the  time  from 
now  on.  Pa  got  the  nomination,  you  know.  I've 
been  tending  to  his  affairs." 

''Will  you  work  in  the  campaign?" 

"No,  I  will  play  host  at  the  resort,  and  then  will 
start  to  school. 

••Why,  I  thought  you  graduated." 

''Yes,  but  this  is  a  law  school.  You  know  a  poli- 
tician must  be  a  lawyer.7' 

"And  should  women  politicians  study  law?.'3 

"It  isn't  absolutely  necessary;  but  there  are  few 
members  of  congress  who  are  not  lawyers,  nor  hardly 
any  public  men,  for  that  matter." 

"Well,  I  shall  read  law,  then,  but  I  don't  intend 
spending  three  or  four  years  more  in  school.  I've 
made  other  plans." 

'•Do  tell  me  what  they  are.  I  haven't  talked  with 
you  for  so  long  that  I  expect  you  have  revised  them 
a  good  deal." 

"I've  been  wanting  to  talk  with  you:  you  under- 
stand me  so  well.  I've  decided  to  go  on  the  stage 
pretty  soon — this  fall  if  I  can  get  a  place;  I'll  try 
the  boards  for  a  while. and  then  I  am  going  to  dram- 
atize the  Iliad  and  start  a  company  of  my  own." 

"What's  that  got  to  do  with  law?"  Joe  exclaimed. 

"Just  wait.  You  know  I  will  have  my  property 
in  my  own  hands  soon,  and  I  intend  investing  in 
land  and  starting  a  cooperative  manufacturing  in- 
dustry. Of  course  that  will  make  me  popular  near 
home.  Then  everybody  will  want  to  see  the  famous 
actress  and  the  woman  who  dramatized  the  Iliad.  I 
will  get  lots  of  free  advertising  and  a  race  for  con- 
gress will  be  easily  made." 


142 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"Quite  a  brilliant  career  you've  mapped  out  for 
yourself.  I  think  you'll  be  a  successful  actress;  you 
will  probably  become  a  star, unless  you  conclude  to 
star  in  some  nice  fellow's  home." 

"Now,  you  know,  Joe,  that  I  should  be  totally 
eclipsed  moving  in  the  domestic  orbit.  The  Iliad  can 
be  dramatized;  I've  got  it  outlined  already.  Oh,  it's 
the  very  scheme. " 

"You  may  be  all  right  about  doing  it  and,  as  I 
said,  you  will  probably  succeed  on  the  stage,  unless 
you  conclude  to  grace  some  lucky  fellow's  home,  but 
I  think  you're  a  little  wild  on  the  political  part." 

"Joe,  you  make  me  mad.  I  wish  you  would  un- 
derstand that  I  don't  intend  to  marry,  even  if  I 
should  be  fool  enough  to  fall  in  love.  Why,  I'd  go 
and  take  the  veil;  I'd  commit  suicide,  but  good 
heavens,  I  hope  I  sha'n't!" 

"I  hope  that  there  is  no  immediate  cause  for 
alarm,"  Joe  said,  looking  at  her  suspiciously. 
"You're  dead  against  the  Englishmen,  you  know." 

"Certainly." 

"Well,  there's  only  myself  and  pa  left." 

"There's  no  clanger  there,  Joe.  There  would  be 
war  to  the  teeth  if  I  married  your  father,  with  three 
in  the  same  family  fighting  for  the  same  honors," 
Helen  said,  laughing. 

"Well,  confound  it,  I  don't  intend  to  marry 
either. " 

"You  are  right,  Joe.  Don't  think  me  flighty.  I'm 
in  dead  earnest  about  my  public  work.  I  think  it 
the  greatest  place  one  can  aspire  to,  to  serve  the  peo- 
ple and  be  honored  by  your  constituents.  I  tell  you, 


A  NEW  WOMAX 


148 


Joe.  it  ought  to  mean  more  to  men  than  it  does. 
There  never  was  such  a  need  of  statesmen.  Oar 
country  is  going  to  lose  her  proud  prestige  if  brains 
and  principle  don't  come  to  the  front." 

"That's  the  truth,  Helen.  We're  just  going  to 
the  devil.    Are  you —    You're  not  mad,  are  you?" 

"Oh,  no,  Joe,  I'm  not  a  fool.  I've  known  it  for 
some  time.  We  are  just  reveling,  marrying,  and 
giving  in  marriage,  as  the  Bible  says." 

"You  think  we're  all  coming  back  to  this  earth  to 
live  a  thousand  years.  Now  I'm  in  earnest  and  I 
hope  you  won't  make  fun  of  me  nor  tell  anybody; 
but  do  you  think  we  will  be  men  and  women,  and 
talk  and  laugh  and  dance  and  ride  pneumatic  tires, 
just  as  we  do  now?  Your  doctrine  is  more  reason- 
able than  these  orthodox  mixtures." 

"You  are  leading  me  into  deep  water,  Joe.  Of 
course  I'm  not  just  clear  about  that,  but  I  know 
that  I  never  could  swallow  this  bosh  about  crowns 
and  golden  harps.  I  am  sure,  from  the  practicing  I 
heard  while  at  school,  that  I  don't  care  to  go  where 
there  are  so  many  amateur  musicians." 

Joe  laughed  outright,  and  the  remainder  of  the  trip 
was  spent  in  jest  and  laughter. 

Agnes  found  her  opportunity  that  afternoon,  upon 
finding  his  lordship  alone  in  the  drawing-room.  He 
looked  guilty  as  she  approached  him  with  a  strange 
look  upon  her  face,  for  he  knew  himself  open  to  re- 
proach. 

"Don't  you  think  Miss  Herman  a  very  nice  girl?" 
she  asked. 

"Oh,  yes,  indeed." 


144 


A  NEW  WOMAN. 


"I'm  so  glad  you  think  so  much  of  her." 

"Yes,  she  is  very  nice  and  pretty."  His  lordship 
didn't  want  to  commit  himself, and  he  really  felt  con- 
science-stricken. What  right  had  he  to  neglect  Ag- 
nes and  break  her  poor  little  heart?  he  had  thought 
many  a  time,  and  yet  he  simply  couldn't  devote 
himself  to  her. 

"Pretty  isn't  the  word  at  all,"  Agnes  said.  "She's 
beautiful.  Don't  you  think  you  are  a  little  bit  in 
love?" 

Her  companion  sighed  audibly  and  said,  "My  poor 
little  girl,  I  hope  I  haven't  caused  you  any  trouble 
Don't  worry,  Agnes,  I'll  be  true  to  you.    I  admire 
her  very  much,  but — " 

"Oh,  I  thought,  I  hoped  you  loved  her,"  Agnes 
said  in  despair. 

"Agnes,  have  you  lost  your  mind?  'Hoped  I  loved 
her, '  and  why?" 

"Why,  why,— well,  never  mind  unless  you  do." 

His  lordship  was  in  a  dilemma  and  knew  not  what 
next  to  say.  It  didn't  strike  him  that  Agnes  didn't 
want  to  marry  him.  It  would  have  been  almost  im- 
possible for  him  to  understand  that  any  woman  could 
have  such  bad  taste  as  to  wish  to  be  rid  of  him, 
Lord  Avon  of  — shire,  England,  who  had  one  of  the 
finest  country  seats  and  the  very  handsomest  mus- 
tache in  the  whole  country  1 

"Did  you  think,  Agnes, that  I  could  so  far  forget 
myself  as  a  gentleman  of  honor,  as  to — " 

"I  don't  know  anything  about  that,  but  I  thought 
you  cared  for  her,  and  I  hoped  so,  because, — because 
— the  truth  is,  my  lord,  I  had  a  sweetheart  before  I 
knew  you." 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


145 


He  was  surprised  at  her  confession,  but  felt  so  re- 
lieved that  he  didn't  try  to  understand  it.  "Well, 
Agnes,  I  must  be  honest  with  you.  I  am  smitten 
with  Miss  Herman  and  not  lightly  either.  But  I  cer- 
tainly intended  to  be  honorable  with  you." 

"Don't  mention  it,  please.  Here  is  your  ring.  I 
think  a  great  deal  of  her  and  I  like  you  and  I  hope 
she  will  accept  you,  but — my  friend  is  very  queer. 
There's  Sir  Alfred  in  the  hammock  looking  lonesome 
and  blue;  hadn't  we  better  join  him?" 

A  merry  party  surrounded  the  tea  table  that  night, 
and  it  was  decided  by  a  majority  vote,  which  was 
afterward  made  unanimous,  to  go  within  a  few  days 
to  Saratoga. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

That  night  when  Helen  had  gone  to  her  room  she 
picked  up  the  Iliad  and  began  to  turn  through  it.  "I 
can  do  it.  I  have  the  debates  just  exactly  as  they 
are;  I  can  have  the  single  encounter  in  the  field. 
The  scenery  can  represent  the  two  armies,  and  the 
walls  of  Troy  can  be  painted  large  enough.  Yes,  I'm 
sure  I  can,  and  I  mustn't  think  of  nonsense,"  she 
was  saying,  when  a  messenger  brought  her  another 
challenge  to  a  game  of  croquet.  "You  didn't  give 
me  a  single  game  this  morning,"  the  note  ran,  "and 
I  want  a  chance  to  redeem  myself  in  the  morning  at 
half  past  six."  Sir  Alfred  had  made  up  his  mind  to 
propose  and  although  he  knew  the  hour  to  be  a  rather 


146 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


strange  one,  it  was  the  only  time  he  felt  sure  of  be- 
ing alone  with  her.  Helen  decided  not  to  meet  him, 
so  she  went  to  bed  with  the  determination  to  sleep 
until  seven.  The  sun  was  just  up  when  she  awoke 
with  a  start,  wondering  what  time  it  was.  Drawing 
the  curtain  aside,  she  lay  looking  out  over  the  beau- 
tiful lawn.  But  the  minutes  seemed  tedious;  she  be- 
gan to  wonder  if  breakfast  were  not  about  ready,  and 
finally  arose  and  dressed.  Upon  looking  at  -her 
watch  she  found  it  to  be  five  minutes  of  six.  "Well," 
she  said,  "it  won't  do  for  me  to  be  awake  and  up 
and  not  go;  if  I  had  overslept — but  I  didn't,  so  I 
mustn't  act  a  fool.  I'll  take  a  book  and  read  awhile; 
the  morning  will  inspire  me." 

She  went  down  far  past  the  croquet  ground  and  sat 
down  on  a  bench  where  she  could  see  the  house,  and 
began  to  read.  She  was  quite  a  distance  from  the 
house  and  confident  that  no  one  could  hear  her,  and 
she  read  poem  after  poem  aloud.  She  had  just  fin- 
ished "Lochiel's  Warning,"  which  she  had  admired 
and  practiced  from  childhood,  when  a  voice  said: 

"How  well  you  read,  Miss  Herman!" 

"Good  heavens,  man!"  she  exclaimed,  jumping 
up  and  dropping  her  book. 

"I  am  sorry  I  startled  you.  Why,  you  are  nerv- 
ous," he  said  tenderly. 

"Oh,  nonsense,  Sir  Alfred!  I'm  not;  you  only 
surprised  me.  But  how  on  earth  did  you  manage  to 
get  near  without  my  seeing  you?  I've  kept  my  eyes 
on  that  path. " 

"So  you  were  watching  for  me,  were  you?"  Helen's 
eyes  fell,  but  she  answered  bravely,  "Of  course  I  was 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


147 


watching;  do  you  suppose  I  came  here  to  go  to 
sleep  again?  And  I'd  just  like  to  know  how  you  got 
here. " 

"Suppose,  Miss  Herman,  that  I  came  down  that 
path  nearly  an  hour  before  you  did." 

"Of  course,  the  simplest  thing  in  the  world.  But 
you  must  have  gotten  up  very  early." 

"I  did.    I  didn't  sleep  very  well." 

"A  guilty  conscience?" 

"Not  unless  it  is  true  that  minds  at  a  distance- 
can  affect  other  minds.  Maybe  your  conscience  was 
troubling  you  for  treating  me  so  cruelly  yesterday." 

"I  did  treat  you  a  little  shabby,"  she  said  calmly, 
but  with  rising  color.  "I'll  let  you  have  a  game  this 
morning.  But  you  said  I  was  a  good  reader.  I  thank 
you;  I  consider  it  quite  a  compliment,  and  it  en- 
courages me  to — to — " 

"To  what?' 

"Why,  it  confirms  me  in  my  hope  to  become  a 
great  actress  Probably  you  don't  know,  though, 
that  I  intend  going  on  the  stage,  probably  this  fall, 
if  I  can  secure  a  position  in  some  good  company." 

"Oh,  pshaw!  But  you  will  get  over  that.  Nearly 
every  girl  is  stage-struck  some  time  in  life." 

This  angered  Helen  and  she  replied  with  spirit, 
"Well,  I  shall  have  ample  time  to  find  out  if  I  am 
stage  struck, as  you  term  it.  I  am  my  own  mistress. " 

"  'Lord  of  thyself;  that  heritage  of  woe, 
That  fearful  empire  wrhieh  the  human  breast 
But  holds  to  rob  the  heart  within  of  rest!'  " 

he  quoted.  Helen  said  nothing  to  this,  but  stood 
biting  the  fingers  of  her  gloves, 


148 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"You  are  rich;  you  do  not  need  employment." 
Still  she  looked  down  her  nose  and  continued  to  bite. 
"You  are  not  serious,  surely,  Miss  Herman." 
"Yes,  I  am  serious." 

"But  you  are  so  young — scarcely  more  than  a 
child." 

"I'm  not  young;  I  never  was  a  child.  Orphan 
girls  have  no  time  to  fool  away  in  childhood ;  they 
have  too  much  responsibility  resting  upon  their  shoul- 
ders." 

"I  don't  know  how  it  is  in  America,  but  in  Eng- 
land girls  of  twenty  are  not  allowed  out  of  their 
mother's  sight;  they  are  not  considered  women." 

"That  may  be  true.  In  this  country  some  females 
of  thirty  are  not  women  and  never  will  be." 

"Besides  that,  you  are  without  relatives  and 
friends. " 

"And  I  don't  need  any;  I've  gotten  along  so  far 
without  committing  suicide  or  marrying." 

"I  suppose,  then,  the  advice  of  a  man  of  my  age 
and  experience  is  to  be  utterly  ignored,"  he  said 
moodily. 

"You  mean  well,  I  know." 

"Yes,  Helen,  I  mean,  I  mean—-" 

"I  know  it,  Sir  Alfred,  but  if  you  are  my  friend 
you  ought  not  to  discourage  me." 

"But  there  are  other  things  to  be  considered.  I 
speak  to  you  as  a  friend,  as  a  brother.  You  might 
make  an  actress;  indeed  I  think  you  would;  you  can 
adapt  yourself  to  a  great  variety  of  parts,  but  one  of 
your  sex  and  age  ought  not  to  take  such  a  risk." 

"Why  must  young  persons  always  be  discouraged 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


149 


in  their  efforts  to  rise?    A  man  wants  to  make  a  law- 
yer out  of  a  boy  who  is  a  natural  mechanic,  or  a 
doctor  out  of  one  who  ought  to  teach.  There's  a  bit 
of  poetry  that  expresses  it : 
"  'You  can  lead  a  horse  to  water, 
But  you  cannot  make  him  drink. 
You  can  send  a  fool  to  college, 

But  you  cannot  make  him  think. 
You  can  keep  your  daughter  strumming 

From  morn  till  afternoon, 
But  you  can't  make  her  a  player 

If  she  hasn't  any  tune. 
You  cannot  change  the  rooster's  strut 

Nor  make  the  layers  crow, 
Though  you  may  honestly  believe 

It  would  be  better  so. 
You  cannot  make  a  farmer 

Of  the  boy  who  loves  the  sea, 
Though  you  may  make  him  plow  and  plant 

And  whoa  and  haw  and  gee. 
You  cannot  make  a  preacher 

Of  the  stage-struck  Romeo  lad, 
And  if  you  ever  do  succeed 

You'll  wish  you  never  had.'  " 
UI  know  it  is  a  very  common  thing  for  persons  to 
miss  their  calling,  but  why  should  you  trouble  your- 
self about  a  'life  work, '  'a  mission, '  with  your  wealth 
and  the  social  position  you  can  so  admirably  fill?" 

"I  do  not  see  that  that  excuses  me  in  leading  an 
idle  life." 

"But  you  might  never  rise  to  prominence.  A  wan- 
dering life  makes  one  discontented  with  any  other 
kind;  and  I  tell  you,  Helen,  that  it  will  not  bring 
you  happiness,  nor  is  it  child's  play;  it's  work." 

"Yes,  I  know.  'No  excellence  without  hard  labor. ' 
My  teacher  wrote  that  on  the  blackboard  when  I  was 


150 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


but  ten  years  old,  and  it  has  stayed  by  me  ever  since. 
I  intend  to  work;  I  enjoy  effort  and  making  things 
move." 

Several  times  Sir  Alfred  had  been  on  the  point  of 
confessing  his  love,  but  he  had  begun  to  wonder  if 
he  really  wanted  such  a  self-willed  woman.  Wouldn't 
it  be  a  second  Corinne,  in  some  respects,  in  England. 
Well,  he  would  just  wait  and  perhaps  she  would  ac- 
quiesce, for  he  was  almost  sure  that  she  had  begun 
at  least  to  care  for  him;  and  there  was  no  hurry,  as 
his  lordship  was  affianced  to  Agnes,  and  Helen  said 
'Joe'  in  much  too  fraternal  a  fashion  to  rouse  any 
jealous  feelings  in  regard  to  him. 

"The  position  you  covet  will  always  be  out  of  your 
reach.  Like  John  Burley's  perch ;  he  wouldn't  have 
recognized  it  if  he  had  caught  it,  but  kept  fishing 
and  fishing." 

"Well,  are  we  not  happier  doing  so?" 

"I  wasn't." 

"How  so?" 

"Why,  you  know  my  father,  Lord  Gates,  is  just 
as  good  a  man  as  there  is  in  England  to-day.  He 
worked  with  increasing  energy  for  himself  and  then 
for  me.  At  your  age,  I  too  was  an  enthusiast,  only 
longing  for  a  chance  to  revolutionize  the  world!  I 
worked  with  sublime  endurance  until  I  was  twenty- 
eight  years  old.  For  some  slight  service  to  the  gov- 
ernment I  was  knighted,  but  I  didn't  see  that  I  had 
made  any  change  in  the  public's  way  of  thinking  or 
acting;  corruption  was  just  as  plentiful  and  triumph- 
ant as  it  was  before  I  was  born.  I  saw  worthy  men 
sink,  and  low-browed  villains  rise,  and  it  sickened 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


151 


me  completely,  and  I  just  stepped  down  and  out." 

"Oh,  why  didn't  you  keep  on;  I  should  have.  I 
can't  give  up;  there's  no  use  talking.  I  must  make 
the  trial,  and  if  my  strength  should  not  be  equal  to 
the  task,  I  can  at  least  know  that  I  did  my  best.  So 
many  women  are  going  into  the  world  to-day,  and 
besides,it  is  only  a  means  to  an  end." 

"All  right,  go  ahead." 

"Thank  you,  Sir  Alfred,  I'm  so  glad  to  hear  that. 
It's  so  rare  to  be  encouraged.  I'm  so  tired  of  fogies 
who  can  say  nothing  but 'Be  careful, '  and  talk  ot 
'yawning  chasms'  everlastingly." 

Sir  Alfred  looked  at  this  spirited  woman,  who  act- 
ually dared  to  make  fun  of  him,  and  concluded  that 
she  was  even  more  magnificent  than  he  thought.  He 
wondered  if  she  had  any  weaknesses,  and  wished  that 
a  mouse  would  run  across  her  foot.  If  she  would 
only  get  frightened  and  cry,  she  would  be  perfectly 
lovely,  he  thought,  but  when  Helen  grasped  a  branch 
just  above  her,  and  stood  revealing  her  form  in  its 
almost  perfect  outlines,  every  muscle  performing  its 
functions,  every  nerve  under  control  and  the  blood 
coursing  through  her  veins  with  true  democratic  free- 
dom, his  mood  changed  somewhat.  "She  would 
make  a  splendid  Minerva;  she's  wisdom — and  war 
personified.  She  would  make  a  splendid  tragedy 
queen,  if  she  were  angry  instead  of  smiling,  but  oh, 
what  sort  of  a  wife  would  she  be?  There's  no  cou- 
fiding  sweetness  about  her.  She's  never  sick,  I'll 
warrant,  nor  dependent  in  anyway,"  he  mentally 
soliloquized,  and  then  he  asked  her  how  much  she 
weighed. 


152 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"One  hundred  and  forty-five  pounds,  the  last  time 
I  was  weighed,  and  I  think  I  have  about  got  my 
growth. " 

"How  tall  are  you?" 

"Five  feet  and  seven  inches." 

"I  suppose  you  never  faint  and  have  the  head- 
ache." 

"No,  not  from  ordinary  causes,  but  once  in  a 
storm  I  wras  shocked  by  lightning  and  had  headache 
before  I  recovered." 

"Then  you  are  afraid  of  storms." 

"Well,  yes;  I'm  not  anxious  to  figure  in  one 
again. " 

"Are  we  going  to  play  croquet?" 

"No,  we'd  better  go  to  breakfast,  unless  you  wish 
to  ask  some  more  questions." 

"Pardon  me,  Miss  Herman;  but  you  looked  so 
charming  and  as  I  always  admired  small  women  I 
really  wanted  to  know." 

"To  be  sure.  I  wasn't  offended.  I  always  mean 
to  be  obliging,  and  I  thought  perhaps  you  would  like 
to  know  if  I  use  a  curling  iron  or  rouge." 

"Miss  Herman,  you  are  offended  and  no  wonder." 

"I'm  not;  I'm  wonderfully  pleased  that  Sir  Alfred 
Gates  takes  such  an  interest  in  me." 

Was  there  ever  such  another  aggravating  woman ! 
She  wouldn't  cry,  nor  get  mad,  nor  pout  ;  but  would 
go  after  her  own  ball  and  excel  him  ill  aim  and  pre- 
cision of  stroke.  It  was  quite  useless  to  play  cro- 
quet or  any  larger  game  with  her, for  she'd  whitewash 
him  every  time.  He  longed  to  take  her  by  the  shoul- 
der and  shake  her  till  her  teeth  chattered. 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


153 


Joe  and  his  father  were  seated  in  the  library  await- 
ing breakfast. 

"I  think  it's  all  up  between  Agnes  and  his  curli- 
ness,  even  now,"  Joe  was  saying. 

"Oh,  you  do.  Agnes  will  tell  us,  I  suppose,  and 
we  must  act  surprised,  you  understand:  and  now  we 
might  try  and  save  Helen." 

"I  think  she  is  amply  able  to  save  herself." 

"Well,  I  hope  so.  His  lordship  is  all  right,  a  jo- 
vial, good-natured  fellow,  and  such  men  are  scarce  in 
the  world.  We've  more  mere  men  than  frank,  good- 
natured  ones.  One  ought  to  cultivate  a  genial  dis- 
position. Why,  the  place  is  lively  from  the  time  he 
gets  up  until  he  goes  to  bed  again.  I  tell  you,  after 
all,  I  like  the  fellow." 

uHe'll  do  very  well  for  one  of  his  kind,  but  there 
are  other  varieties  I  like  better,"  Joe  returned  con- 
temptuously. 

The  day  passed  pleasantly ;  everybody  was  in  good 
spirits;  even  Sir  Alfred  seemed  to  be  perfectly  at 
ease,  which,  however,  deep  down  in  his  heart  he  wras 
not.  It  was  late- when  they  dispersed  for  the  night, 
but  Helen  seized  the  Iliad  and  began  planning  as 
usual.  Growing  thirsty,  she  slipped  quietly  down  to 
the  lower  hall  for  a  glass  of  ice-water.  Hearing  a 
slight  noise  in  the  dining  hall  and  thinking  that  per- 
haps burglars  were  rifling  the  silver  closet,  she  stepped 
to  the  door  and  peeped  in,  just  in  time  to  see  Joe 
pour  out  a  glass  of  wine. 

"Beware,  Joe,  'the  rapids  are  below  you,'"  she 
said,  stepping  to  him  and  laying  her  hand  on  his 
arm. 


154 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"Don't  get  tragic,  Helen, "he  said  calmly,  putting 
his  glass  down  and  turning  toward  her.  "What  are 
you  doing  here?    You  ought  to  be  in  bed." 

"Why,  I  just  came  down  for  a  glass  of  wine." 

"You  don't  drink,  Helen?" 

"Yes,  I  do.  I  just  sneak  down  here  when  every- 
body is  in  bed.  Pour  me  a  glass  and  give  me  one 
of  those  cigars.  I  might  just  as  well  have  a  smoke, 
too;  no  one  will  know. 

"And  you  don't  think  it  makes  any  difference 
just  because  no  one  knows? 

"Don't  you  feel  the  same  way  about  it?" 

"You  are  a  woman." 

"Women  drink,  don't  they?" 

"Some  do,  but  I  had  a  better  opinion  of  you, 
Helen." 

"And  I  had  a  better  opinion  of  you,  Joe." 

"Confound  it,  Helen,  what  do  you  mean?" 

"Tell  me  what  you  mean  first." 

"Why,  I  was  sitting  in  my  room  thinking  over  the 
situation  and  it  made  me  a  little  rash,  I  guess." 

"What  situation;  is  your  father — " 

"Oh,  no;  about  the  Englishmen;  they  drink  and 
gamble,  at  least  his  importance  does,  while  I  haven't 
a  single  vice  and  am  trying  hard  to  amount  to  some- 
thing, still — and  yet,  Miss  Herman,  Miss  Herman, 
an  American  and  a  patriot,  abhorring  vice  and  titles, 
gives  them  all  of  her  time  and  smiles.  I  just  con- 
cluded that  smart  women  admired  dissipated  men 
more  than — " 

"'Earnest  boys. '  The  rebuke  is  just,  Joe.  Iam 
glad  you  spoke  out  without  reserve.  I  used  to  think 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


155 


myself  about  perfect,  but  twice  in  the  last  year  I've 
had  my  vanity  stabbed  and  rightly,  too.  But  I  am 
going  to  do  differently  in  the  future,  and  you  shall 
have  no  excuse  to  find  fault  with  me  hereafter.  I 
hope  that  you  won't  drink  that  wine." 

•kXo,  I  won't;  but  what  did  you  come  down  for?" 

"For  some  ice-water,  and  I  heard  the  noise  and 
thought  I  had  better  see  what  it  was." 

•'And  just  in  time,  Helen,  I  thank  you,"  and  he 
opened  the  door  for  her  to  pass. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

Everybody  rose  early  on  Monday  morning  and 
nearly  everybody  had  some  business  at  town, as  they 
were  going  away  on  Wednesday.  Lord  Avon  had  to 
see  if  a  half  dozen  pairs  of  white  pantaloons  which 
he  had  ordered  had  come.  The  girls,  of  course,  were 
due  at  the  dressmaker's.  Joe  ostensibly  had  some 
business  to  attend  to.  but  it  was  more  to  keep  his 
eye  on  Helen  than  anything  else,  while  Sir  Alfred 
went  just  to  fill  in.  Mrs.  Daniels  announced  that 
she  could  not  go  until  afternoon  on  account  of  some 
special  work,  she  said.  For  she  had  discovered  that 
a  closet  in  Sir  Alfred's  room  needed  renovating,  and 
she  intended  removing  his  belongings  to  another 
room  and  making  war  on  the  microbes.  The  day  was 
sultry  and  the  young  people  nearly  melted  coming 
home. 

"It  is  just  six  weeks  ago  that  we  had  the  storm, 
Agnes,"  Helen  -aid. 


156 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"Mercy,  do  you  have  storms  around  this  part  of 
the  country?"  his  lordship  asked. 

"Why,  yes;  we  have  storms  all  over  the  country; 
no  place  is  exempt,"  Agnes  said. 

"Dear  me!  Cyclones,  railroad  accidents  and 
strikes — that  is  a  fine  record  for  a  country  no  older 
than  this.  A  man  is  never  certain  when  he  is  on  an 
American  train  whether  he  will  ever  get  off  alive  or 
not;  and  he  never  knows  when  he  goes  to  bed  at 
night  but  that  he'll  be  carried  to  the  moon  before 
morning  by  a  cyclone.  If  it  were  not  for  the  ladies 
this  country  would  be  intolerable.  How  long  do  you 
realize  that  there  is  a  storm  coming  before  it  breaks?" 

"Why,  we  generally  begin  to  realize  it  when  the 
roof  commences  ascending,  and  if  we  don't  find  it 
out  then  we  probably  never  will,"  Joe  volunteered, 
and  then  asked  Helen  if  she  were  afraid  of  storms. 

"I'm  afraid  of  thunder  and  lightning,"  she  re- 
plied. 

"Why,  Joe,  who  is  it  living  in  that  old  Thornton 
place?"  Agnes  asked. 

"Nobody,  I  guess. "  But  here  they  had  reached 
home  and  gladly  sought  shelter  from  the  awful  heat. 
After  dinner  they  sought  the  shade.  His  lordship 
drew  his  chair  up  beside  Helen  and  began  fanning 
her.  Joe  and  Sir  Alfred  occupied  themselves  with 
the  papers.  Pretty  soon  Joe  raised  his  eyes  and  said, 
"Agnes,  that  old  Thornton  place  is  taken.  An  old 
fortune-teller — Mother  Bonnelly,  I  guess  it's  pro- 
nounced." Here  Mrs.  Daniels  surprised  everybody 
by  dropping  her  sewing  and  turning  pale.  "What's 
the  matter?"  they  all  asked. 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


157 


"I  would  advise  all  of  you  to  keep  away  from  her. 
She  can  see  a  grave  ten  years  in  the  future,"  and 
with  this  she  arose  and  went  quickly  into  the  house. 
Everybody  looked  at  everybody  else,  but  nobody 
offered  any  information.  His  lordship,  who  was  con- 
stitutionally opposed  to  gloom,  said,  "Now  let's  not 
get  the  blues;  maybe  she  can  see  orange  blossoms  as 
well  as  graves,  and  every  lady  wants  to  know — " 

"The  color  of  her  lord's  hair,"  Joe  said. 

"How  good  of  you  to  say  for  me  what  I  couldn't 
express  from  modesty  and  deference  to  the  ladies! 
Of  course  they  think  senators  as  good  as  lords,  that 
is,  most  women  do,  but  still  there  are  those  who  pre- 
fer a  nobleman  in  England  to  a  congressman  at 
home. " 

"That's  true,  but  as  for  me,  I  prefer  to  patronize 
home  industries,"  Helen  remarked,  coming  to  Joe's 
rescue.  Here  Sir  Alfred  lowered  his  paper  and  ad- 
dressed himself  to  the  crowd. 

"You  Americans  make  a  great  fuss  about  aristo- 
cratic forms  of  government.  The  only  difference  is 
that  in  this  country,  just  as  soon  as  a  man  loses 
office  you  kick  him  and  walk  over  him,  while  you 
bow  down  to  his  successor  until  it  becomes  his  turn 
to  be  cast  down;  but  in  England  a  man  can't  be  put 
down  unless  he  actually  deserves  it;  he's  something 
but  mere  popularity  to  assure  his  position.  Oh, 
you've  an  aristocracy  if  it  is  kaleidoscopic;  it's  lord 
there  and  senator  here." 

"'A  rose  by  another  name,'  is  all,  Sir  Alfred,"  his 
lordship  said. 

"'A  burr  by  any  other  name  would  stick  as  fast' 


158 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


is  a  better  version  for  that,  isn't  it?"  Helen  asked 
archly.  "What  you  say  is  partially  true,  but  I  think 
that  patriotic  women  ought  to  prefer  their  country- 
men even  if  they  are  not  quite  perfect,  having  fol- 
lowed the  example  of  older  and  more  corrupt  nations. " 

Joe  was  delighted.    Helen  was  a  trump  after  all. 

"Oh,  it  shouldn't  make  any  difference  to  the  wom- 
en; they  ought  to  consult  their  own  best  interests," 
said  Sir  Alfred. 

"  '  Lives  there  a  man  with  soul  so  dead 
Who  never  to  himself  hath  said 
This  is  my  own,  my  native  land?' " 

Helen  said  with  a  flourish.  "But  maybe  you  don't 
credit  woman  with  having  a  soul?" 

"Well,  if  she  hadn't  I  suppose  she  could  make 
man  believe  she  had,"  Sir  Alfred  said  wearily. 
Helen's  eyes  twinkled,  and  Joe  looked  so  appreci- 
ative that  she  went  over  and  sat  by  his  side.  Agnes 
had  not  told  her  that  the  engagement  was  off,  but 
the  absence  of  the  ring  indicated  it,  so  she  felt  her- 
self free  to  be  as  partial  to  Joe  as  she  liked. 

"Do  keep  your  chair,  Miss  Herman,  do,  and  I'll 
just  move  the  tree,"  his  lordship  said. 

"I  know  you  would;  but  wouldn't  you  just  as 
soon  trade  heads?"  and  they  all  laughed. 

"But  what  about  the  fortune-teller?"  Agnes  asked 
to  relieve  the  embarrassment. 

"Why,  Miss  Easton,  it's  a  splendid  chance  to  get 
our  future  diagnosed!"  Sir  Alfred  said  scornfully. 

"It's  so  hot,  it's  going  to  rain  this  evening  and  I 
must  go  and  meet  Pa  as  soon  as  the  train's  in,"  Joe 
said,  rising.  A  few  moments  later  Agnes  excused 
herself. 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


159 


"I  tell  you  corn  will  go  sky-high  by  fall,  unless 
we  have  rain, "  our  congressman  was  saying  as  he 
rode  along  home  with  Joe.  -'The  ground  is  as  dry  as 
brick  and  the  crops  are  burning  up  in  many  districts. 
Oh,  I'm  going  to  hold  on  a  while  yet.  I'm  glad  I'm 
rid  of  that  fellow." 

"And  are  we  for  sure?" 

"Yes.  Aggie  wrote  me  yesterday  about  it.  got  the 
letter  yesterday  just  before  I  started.  That's  a  girl's 
way;  they  think  they  can  write  what  they  can't  say: 
and  I  suppose  she  thought  I  wouldn't  like  it.  I  tell 
you  I  never  want  to  chance  another  Englishman  ;  the 
Board  of  Trade  is  as  risky  business  as  I  want  to  try. 
I've  made  a  few  sly  inquiries  about  him  and,  why, 
Joe,  it  would  take  twice  our  pile  to  pay  his  debts. 
I  never  would  have  consented  in  the  first  place  if  he 
hadn't — oh,  hell!  he  scared  me  about  Snib  and  took 
me  in  with  his  d — d  slick  way.  What's  that?  Some- 
body in  the  Thornton  house?" 

•*Yes,  I  saw  by  the  paper  that  an  old  woman  who 
calls  herself  Mother  Bonnelly — " 

••What!  that  old  hag  alive  yet?" 

"Why,  what  do  you  know  about  her?" 

"Oh.  nothing  much.  Of  course  I  don't  believe  in 
such  things,  but  she,  if  it  is  she,  and  the  name  is 
the  same,  told  your  Aunt  Kate's  fortune  just  before 
she  was  married.  She  told  her  that  her  husband 
would  live  but  a  couple  of  years,  and  you  know  he 
died  just  two  years  and  one  day  after  they  were  mar- 
ried. " 

"I  knew  that  uncle  had  died  before  they  were 
married  very  long,  but  I  didn't  know  it  had  been 


160 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


foretold.  She  was  very  much  affected  when  Agnes 
read  the  advertisement.  Agnes  had  been  wondering 
who  had  taken  the  old  place,"  Joe  said,as  they  drove 
up  to  the  gate. 

Agnes  was  missed  at  supper  time  and  Mrs.  Daniels, 
going  in  search  of  her,  met  her  just  as  she  was  en- 
tering the  hall  with  face  flushed  as  if  from  rapid 
walking.  "Where  have  you  been?  You  had  bet- 
ter cool  off  a  little  before  eating." 

"Oh,  no,  auntie,  I'm  not  very  warm;  have  just 
been  down  to  the  old  orchard,"  Agnes  replied  with 
affected  carelessness.  She  sat  down  to  the  table  and 
began  to  talk  much  more  gayly  than  was  usual  with 
her. 

After  supper  they  tried  to  play  whist,  but  the  in- 
terest flagged  on  account  of  the  heat;  so  after  a  brief 
stay  on  the  lawn  they  separated  for  the  night.  As 
they  entered  the  hall  Helen  tripped,  and  in  trying  to 
keep  from  falling,  her  head  was  brought  dangerously 
near  Sir  Alfred's  broad  chest.  It  was  nothing  at  all, 
but  it  sent  the  blood  to  her  face;  and  he,  noting  it, 
tried  to  catch  her  eye,  but  she  avoided  it  and  ab- 
ruptly sought  her  room.  She  walked  the  floor  and 
called  herself  a  fool  and  finally  threw  herself  on  the 
bed,  unmindful  of  the  fact  that  she  had  not  disrobed, 
and  finally  fell  into  a  deep  sleep. 

Sir  Alfred  sat  in  his  room  seeking  solace  in  his 
cigar.  He  felt  sleep  to  be  out  of  the  question.  If 
he  could  only  make  her  betray  the  least  femininity; 
if  she  would  only  show  the  least  dependence  on  him, 
or  if  he  could  anger  her  even,  he  was  thinking.  But 
no,  she  would  walk  majestically  beside  him,  with 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


161 


just  the  tips  of  her  fingers  resting  upon  his  sleeve, 
and  return  his  taunts  with  such  a  sweetly  sarcastic 
smile!  So  he  smoked  cigar  after  cigar  and  moved 
from  window  to  window  seeking  composure  and  a 
cool  spot,  for  the  heat  was  almost  insufferable.  Vivid 
flashes  of  lightning  revealed  a  dark  and  ominous 
cloud  in  the  northwest.  Alight  breeze- sprang  up  and 
Sir  Alfred  leaned  out  of  the  window,  grateful  for  its 
refreshing  effect.  Suddenly  there  was  a  roaring  noise 
accompanied  by  a  horrible  flash  of  lightning  and 
deafening  thunder.  Then  he  heard  doors  opening 
and  voices  crying  "A  storm!"  "To  the  cave!"  "Hur- 
ry, hurry!"    He  rushed  to  Helen's  door,  where  he 

*  was  shortly  reinforced  by  Joe  with  Agnes  in  cap  and 
gown,  clinging  to  him.  Helen  was  first  dazed  and 
then  paralyzed  with  fright.  Sir  Alfred,  unafraid,  as 
most  people  are  until  distinguished  by  living  through 
one  cyclone,  gathered  her  in  his  arms  and  staggered 
toward  the  cave.  It  was  only  a  few  rods  from  the 
side  door,  but  on  that  short  trip  he  saw  one  large 
tree,  not  twenty  feet  from  the  house,  literally  dragged 
out  by  the  roots,  and  another  large  trunk  nearer  still 
snapped  like  a  pipe  stem.    It  seemed  an  eternity  be- 

,  fore  he  should  reach  the  door  with  his  precious, 
helpless  burden! 

The  group  inside,  like  most  hasty  gatherings  of 
the  terror-stricken,  presented  a  most  comical  picture. 
The  servants  from  stable  boy  to  cook  were  present  in 
various  stages  of  dress — or  undress.  The  host,  with 
one  shoe  on  and  the  other  in  his  pocket,  stood  at  the 
door  listening.  Joe  had  smashed  his  thumb  in  the 
fracas,  and  Agnes  was  kneeling  by  him  blowing  it. 


162 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


His  lordship  had  succeeded  in  getting  his  clothes  on, 
and  had  paused  long  enough  before  the  mirror  to  curl 
his  mustache  by  a  flash  of  lightning;  but  finding  that 
he  had  forgotten  his  collar  he  sought  obscurity  be- 
hind an  apple  barrel.  Mrs.  Daniels,  who  considered 
being  blown  away  no  greater  danger  than  the  con- 
sumption from  a  sudden  cold,  had  donned  a  warm 
wrapper  and  a  pair  of  overshoes  and  a  shawl  about 
her  head,  while  on  one  arm  she  carried  numerous 
cloaks  and  shawls  with  which  she  quickly  wrapped 
the  distressed  girls.  Sir  Alfred  and  Helen  were 
clothed,  but  the  latter  seemed  to  be  scarcely  in  her 
right  mind,  for  she  stood  half  turned  to  the  wall 
sobbing  and  trembling.  Suddenly  the  door  flew  open 
and  the  candle  was  extinguished,  while  the  box  upon 
which  it  sat  was  blown  over.  A  din  of  ejaculations 
from  the  men  and  shrieks  from  the  women  arose. 
As  Helen  sobbed  with  fresh  terror,  Sir  Alfred,  who 
was  standing  near  her,  slid  his  arm  around  her  waist 
and  drew  her  to  him,  whispering  the  tenderest  com- 
fort. As  Joe  relighted  the  candle  Sir  Alfred  discreetly 
withdrew  his  embrace,  but  as  they  were  in  an  ob- 
scure corner  he  retained  her  hand;  and  such  a  look 
as  she  gave  him ! 

"  'Twas  only  a  look,  but  it  went  to  the  heart; 
'Twas  only  a  glance,  but  'twas  Cupid's  own  dart." 

In  a  short  time  the  storm  was  spent.  The  host 
cried,  "She's  over;  come  on.  I  hope  the  house  is 
left."  Helen's  strength  returned  and  she  simply 
took  the  arm  of  her  hero  instead  of  occupying  both 
as  she  had  in  their  descent.  The  house  was  still 
standing,  but  the  wind  ws  were  shattered,  and  trees, 


A  NEW  WO  MAX 


163 


boards  and  various  other  obstructions  were  scattered 
broadcast. 

Helen  cast  one  hasty  glance  about  her  and  hurried 
to  her  room  and  locked  the  door.  She  went  and 
stood  before  her  mirror  and  in  a  half  peevish,  half 
tragic  voice  said,  "I'm  lost,  I'm  lost!  Oh,  miserable 
fool;  utter  failure  that  I  am!"  Then  glancing  at  her 
Iliad  she  cried,  "That  can  do  me  no  good  now;  my 
stage  powers  I  might  as  well  never  have  had.  Oh, 
I'm  lost,  beyond  redemption.  And  is  he  my  ideal  of 
manhood,  because  he  has  a  fine  head  and  broad  shoul- 
ders? Idle,  ambitionless.  Oh,  God,  I  might  pray 
for  help,  but  I've  no  faith  in  myself.  I  might  as 
well  have  been  born  to  wash  dishes— yes,  much  bet- 
ter. Why  did  the  Lord  waste  gifts  on  a  thankless 
creature  who  will  fling  them  to  the  winds,  settle 
down  in  English  society,  be  presented  at  court,  be 
permitted  to  kiss  her  majesty's  hand;  talk  and  sup 
tea,  if  not  wine?  Oh  ye  gods,  heap  curses  on  my 
head  if  I  ever,  ever  leave  my  native  land!" 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

His  lordship  was  in  his  room  pacing  the  floor. 
He  wouldn't  stay  another  day  in  this  God-forsaken 
country.  To  drag  a  man  out  of  bed  and  into  the 
presence  of  ladies  without  giving  him  a  chance  to 
make  his  toilet  was  a  little  too  much!  He  would 
speak  to  Helen  this  morning;  she  must  consent  to 
a  speedy  marriage  and  then  away  to  dear  old  London 
with  a  bride  and  three  million  dollars.    He  would 


164 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


buy  a  yacht  and  have  the  family  diamonds  reset. 
He  wished  there  was  time  for  a  trousseau;  and  he 
stopped  in  his  reverie  to  congratulate  himself  upon 
his  escape  from  the  marriage  intended  at  his  coming. 

The  next  morning' Sir  Alfred  asked  Helen  to  ac- 
company him  to  town,  and  his  lordship  suggested 
that  he  and  Agnes  be  allowed  to  accompany  them. 
He  felt  very  little  uneasiness  about  his  friend's  at- 
titude toward  Helen,  knowing  him  to  be  so  adverse 
to  marriage,  and  thinking  Helen  so  far  from  his 
ideal,  yet  he  thought  it  nothing  less  than  prudent  to 
watch  them.  Since  sunrise  his  lordship  had  been  in 
much  better  spirits;  they  would  be  off  for  Saratoga 
next  day,  and  perhaps  cyclones  didn't  visit  that 
Eden ;  so  he  concluded  to  give  Helen  time  to  send  to 
Paris  for  her  outfit. 

After  dinner  his  lordship  secured  Helen's  company 
for  a  game  of  croquet  and  in  the  evening  she  and  Joe 
played  chess.  Poor  Sir  Alfred  was  baffled.  He  had 
scarcely  slept  the  night  before,  anxious  for  the  day, 
that  he  might  boldly  claim  his  own.  Again  in  the 
solitude  of  his  room  he  planned  how  to  meet  her 
without  interruption,  and  decided  upon  the  six  o'clock 
croquet  dodge.  They  had  not  played  croquet  since 
their  quarrelsome  game  of  the  week  before,  and  he 
had  concluded  to  never  again  challenge  her  to  do 
what  he  did  so  poorly;  but  that  seemed  his  only 
chance  to,  get  ahead  of  his  friend — for  it  was  a  phys- 
ical impossibility  for  his  lordship  to  rise  that  early 
without  Adams  to  assist  him.  So  Helen  received  the 
following: 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


165 


"Dear Helen: — Please  meet  me  in  the  morning  at 
the  croquet  ground  at  the  usual  time.  Your  devoted 

"Alfred.  " 

Helen  twisted  the  note,  tore  it  in  pieces  and  then 
stamped  on  the  pieces;  called  herself  a  hopeless  idiot 
and  so  forth.  Yet  she  knew  she  would  meet  him. 
Oh, how  she  did  wish  for  some  settlement  of  all  these 
conflicting  questions !  If  she  only  knew — Her  thought 
was  interrupted  by  her  taking  note  of  a  bright  light 
out  beyond  the  meadow.  Wrapping  a  shawl  about 
her  shoulders, she  slipped  out  of  the  house;  she  would 
consult  the  fortune-teller. 

It  was  just  at  this  time  that  Sir  Alfred,  dreaming 
sweet  dreams,  was  sitting  at  his  window  gazing  out 
into  the  night.  He  was  resting  his  head  on  his  hand, 
thinking  with  fast  beating  heart  of  the  rapture  await- 
ing him,  when  he  was  startled  by  a  stifled  scream. 
He  leaned  out  and  listened. 

"What  are  you  doing  out  alone,  Helen,  at  mid- 
night; have  you  started  to  see  the  old  witch?'? 

"Heavens,  Joe,  how  you  frightened  me!  But  do 
you  judge  me  by  yourself?" 

"Certainly  not;  I  heard  a  commotion  among  the 
stock  and  hurried  out.'' 

"In  your  hurry  you  didn't  forget  your  cuffs,  Joe." 
The  face  at  the  window  smiled;  he  thought  what  a 
good  joke  he  would  have  on  Helen — darling  Helen, 
who  couldn't  wait  a  few  hours,  but  must  consult  a 
fortune-teller. 

"Nor  your  collar,  nor  your  tie,"  she  went  on. 

"Come,  Helen,  you've  got  me;  but  I  was  anxious 
to  know  if  the  old  hag  could  tell  anything.  Well, 


166 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


let's  go  together.  Lucky  for  you  that  you  did  run 
across  me,  for  there's  tramps  everywhere." 

•'But  I  haven't  my  watch  nor  any  valuables  with 
me. " 

"Well,  they'd  just  carry  you  off  until  I  redeemed 
you."    The  face  above  grew  sober. 

"Come  along,  we  won't  get  back  until  near  morn- 
ing. " 

"No,  Joe,  I  don't  believe  I  will  go."  There  was 
no  use  of  her  going  if  with  a  third  party. 

"Just  as  you  choose,"  Joe  returned,  a  little  wrath  v. 
"You  think  the  Englishman  will  care?  Oh,  you 
needn't  protest;  Agnes  told  me  all  about  it,  how  you 
were  coming  home  to  angle  for  him.  Girls  are  as 
designing  as  the  very  devil;  and  he, the  great  chump, 
perfectly  ignorant. "  The  face  at  the  window  grew 
pale  as  death  and  drew  back.  And  the  two  kept  on 
talking  without  knowledge  of  having  been  heard,  for 
they  had  not  learned  of  the  microbes  that  had  neces- 
sitated the  change  of  Sir  Alfred's  room. 

"Well,  Joe,  I  don't  intend  to  marry  him,  any- 
way." And  then  she  whispered,  "Agnes  is  free  now 
and  the  farce  is  over.  What's  that?"  she  exclaimed, 
stepping  nearer  Joe  as  she  saw  a  man  jump  behind  a 
bush.    "Joe,  it  looked  like  your  father." 

"It  can't  be,  though,"  he  replied  in  embarrass- 
ment. 

"But  it  was.  Oh,  goodness;  he's  been  to  Mother 
Bonnelly's." 

"But  he  don't  believe  in  such  things." 

"Neither  do  we.    But  we'd  better  be  getting  in." 

The  next  morning  Helen  rose  up  early  and  dressed 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


167 


herself  in  a  neat  new  traveling  dress.  Taking  her 
book,  but  forgetting  her  gloves,  she  went  to  the  rus- 
tic seat  at  the  croquet  ground.  She  turned  the  leaves 
of  the  book  but  did  not  read,  being  too  busy  swal- 
lowing her  heart  and  watching  the  path.  Six  o'clock 
carne  and  no  Sir  Alfred,  but  she  consoled  herself 
with  the  thought  that  he  was  not  due  until  half  past, 
although  she  had  expected  him  earlier.  The  weary 
minutes  dragged  themselves  along.  She  took  out  her 
watch  and  sat  looking  at  it  ticking  off  the  time.  At 
half  past  six  she  rose  and  leaned  against  a  tree.  At 
seven  she  was  quivering  with  rage,  and  her  eyes 
flashed  lightning,  but  she  gained  control  of  herself 
and  stood  with  her  back  to  the  house  for  another 
half  hour.  Then  she  started  up  the  path  and  pres- 
ently she  met  the  truant.  She  didn't  wait  for  him, 
but  relaxing  her  face  a  little  kept  right  on  until  they 
met. 

"I  beg  a  thousand  pardons,  Miss  Herman,  but 
I  did  oversleep." 

"I  can  easily  forgive  you,  Sir  Alfred,  as  I  have 
just  been  enjoying  the  most  refreshing  sleep  down 
under  the  elm.  I  awoke  at  five, but  I  was  so  sleepy 
that  I  knew  if  I  fell  asleep  again  I  wouldn't  be  in 
time,  so  I  rose  and  came  out  here  and  have  been 
napping  ever  since.  Breakfast  must  be  nearly  ready; 
you  know  we  were  to  breakfast  a  half  hour  earlier 
this  morning. " 

"Yes,  I  believe  so,"  he  said.  "She  don't  care  a 
damn,"  he  thought. 

"I'm  so  glad  we  are  going;  it's  so  dull  here,  al- 
though every  one  has  been  nice  to  me.  Yet  the  coun- 


168 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


try  must  be  dull  when  one  is  contemplating  a  season 
in  Saratoga,  with  balls  and  rides  and  races  and  the 
roulette  wheel  or  board — which  is  it?" 

He  looked  at  her  searchingly  and  said  "wheel." 

"Yes,  of  course,  how  stupid  of  me!  And  the  wom- 
en play,  I've  heard,  and  his  lordship  has  promised 
to  teach  me."  Then  turning  to  him  with  surprising 
frankness,  she  said,  "Please  don't  tell  anybody.  I 
don't  really  believe  in  women  gambling  and  I  don't 
intend  making  a  regular  business  of  it,  but  it  won't 
matter  for  just  one  summer;  besides,  nobody  knows 
me.  But  I  wouldn't  have  Joe  Easton  know  it  for  the 
world.  Hello,  here  he  is,"  and  a  moment  later  they 
met  him  coming  to  ask  if  she  would  like  to  go  to 
the  depot  on  her  bicycle  or  if  she  preferred  the  car- 
riage. 

"How  are  you  going?"  she  asked. 

"Why,  if  you  want  to  go  on  your  wheel  I  will  go 
on  mine,  but  if  you  wish  to  ride  we'll  take  both  the 
carriage  and  the  phaeton." 

"Let's  you  and  I  go  on  the  bicycles." 

"All  right.    I'll  go  and  get  them  in  shape." 

"Let  me  go  along.  You  will  excuse  me,  Sir  Alfred; 
business  before  pleasure,  you  know." 

Sir  Alfred  was  completely  disgusted  with  Helen 
and  provoked  at  himself.  "She's  as  heartless  as  all 
of  the  rest;  but  I  won't  rush  back  to  England  like  a 
love-sick  boy;  I'll  just  stay  and  wear  it  out. "  Why 
couldn't  he  see  that  her  heart  was  wounded,  that  her 
brain  was  on  fire  and  that  all  her  frivolous,  reckless 
talk  was  to  conceal  the  deepest  humiliation? 

At  breakfast  the  host  was  as  jolly  as  a  summer 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


169 


girl.  Turning  to  Helen  he  said,  "Why,  you  look  as 
mischievous  and  charming  as  a  witch."  Helen 
laughed,  but  none  but  Joe  understood  its  real  mean- 
ing. "If  Joe  were  only  ten  years  younger  I'd  thrash 
him,  lock  him  up  and  play  dandy  myself." 

"You  are  not  old.  I  like  gray  hairs  and  bald 
heads  and  blue  coats  like  yours.  Now  blue  coats 
make  me  feel  patriotic.    Were  you  in  the  war?" 

"Yes,  for  four  years;  I've  helped  plant  the  stars 
and  stripes  many  a  time  and  may  have  to  fight  for 
them  again  if  labor  trouble  keeps  brewing. " 

"It  isn't  the  flag  or  the  government  that  these 
blows  are  aimed  at,  but  the  corrupt  practices  of  cor- 
rupt men  and  the  cowards  in  high  places.  The  trouble 
to-day  is  that  we  have  partisans  instead  of  states- 
men, and  representatives  who  too  frequently  recog- 
nize no  constituency  but  their  own  private  interests. 
The  truth  is  that  there  are  too  many  fellows  in  con- 
gress to-day  and  too  few  honorable  men." 

"Public  men,  as  a  rule,  are  just  as  honorable  as 
they  dare  be.  and  if  a  man  is  loyal  to  his  party  prin- 
ciples, he  is  just  as  good  a  man  as  we  can  expect  to 
find  in  this  day  and  age  of  the  world. " 

"But  is  the  party  true  to  the  best  interests  of  the 
country?  is  the  question.  If  it  is  false,  then  he  is  a 
traitor.  Why  can't  men  be  true  and  honorable?" 
Sir  Alfred  glanced  at  her.  She  must  be  a  regular 
Kebecca  Sharp,  he  thought.  Well,  one  thing  sure, 
she  could  deceive  him  no  longer.  A  woman  who 
would  be  an  actress,  a  public  speaker,  a  politician 
and  everything  that  his  wife  should  not  be!  She 
could  go  on  with  her  farce;  he  was  now  behind  the 


170 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


scenes,  knew  the  art  of  her  ''making  up,"  so  she 
could  cast  no  glamour  over  him  as  he  sat  in  the  au- 
dience and  looked  on  from  the  proper  side!  He  won- 
dered how  any  one  could  be  so  deliberately  wicked, 
and  again  cursed  the  higher  education  of  women. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

The  next  morning  our  party  awoke  in  Saratoga. 
Beautiful,  gay,  wanton,  Saratoga,  where  wine  flows 
so  freely  that  we  wonder,  why  the  Lord  wasted  so 
much  pure,  life-giving  water  there! 

And  a  fine  picture  she  presented  that  day,  calcu- 
lated to  intoxicate  the  most  puritanical  if  they  once 
gave  way  to  an  appreciation  of  sensuous  beauty. 
The  day  was  perfect,  and  every  one  seemed  to  be  mak- 
ing the  most  of  it.  Magnificent  turnouts  thronged 
the  boulevards,  each  glittering  spoke  a  mirror  reflect- 
ing the  sunlight.  Ladies  in  silks  and  jewels,  much 
be-plumed,and,it  must  be  confessed,  much  be-ronged, 
with  happy,  careless  looks  on  their  faces,  leaned  back 
luxuriously  as  they  whirled  along.  Our  party  caught 
the  contagion  and  soon  were  as  gay  as  the  gayest, 
Helen  especially  outdoing  herself  at  repartee  and 
sparkling  frivolity.  She  seemed  to  have  completely 
forgotten,  to  have  never  known  anything  about  the 
crying  needs  of  the  country,  "hunger  and  homeless- 
ness,"  "despair  and  crime." 

That  evening  there  was  a  ball  at  the  hotel  where 
our  party  were  stopping.  Agnes  and  Helen,  in  creamy, 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


171 


white,  lace-trimmed  silks,  were  escorted  by  Mrs. 
Daniels  and  Joe.  If  the  day  had  been  enchanting  it 
had  been  as  but  a  sunlit  beach  to  the  waves  shim- 
mering in  the  moonlight,  compared  wifefi  this  scene. 
Tropical  plants,  mirrors,  pictures,  statuary,  and 
music  that  would  have  submerged  the  scruples  of 
Tolstoi  himself,  were  but  a  setting  for  the  brilliant 
gathering  of  the  beautiful,  richly  dressed  women  and 
gallant  men.  Everybody  danced  ;  father  and  son, 
matron  and  maid,  young  and  old — but  pardon — no- 
body at  Saratoga  is  ever  old! 

After  the  dancing, couples  and  small  parties  broke 
away  and  seated  themselves  at  small  tables,  where 
men  and  women 

"  Whose  rising  flush 
Might  once  have  been  mistaken  for  a  blush," 

drank  wine  without  compunction. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

As  time  passed  at  the  gay  watering  place,  Sir  Al- 
fred adhered  pretty  well  to  his  resolution  to  simply 
have  a  good  time  and  not  reveal  his  feelings  to  Helen. 
Certainly  there  were  enough  feminine  hearts  sighing 
for  him  to  amuse  him  and  satisfy  his  vanity,  but  he 
held  himself  aloof  from  anything  more  than  casual 
acquaintanceship  and  pined  in  secret.  He  wasn't 
sorry  that  he  had  found  Helen  out.  but  regretted 
that  the  knowledge  had  not  come  early  enough  to 
save  his  peace  of  mind.    For  over  and  over  again 


172 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


had  he  recounted  his  summer  experiences;  of  how  he 
had  begun  to  love  her;  and  how  he  had  thought  of  her, 
with  all  her  important,  independent  ways,  a  woman 
who,  once  awakened,  would  be  capable  of  strong,  deep, 
lasting  affection.  He  could  have  stood  her  notions, 
even  her  stage  and  political  aspirations — until  after 
he  had  married  her— but  the  thought  that  she  had 
schemed  to  marry  him  before  she  had  seen  him! 

Cupid  is  a  powerful  little  god,  but  he  is  certainly 
not  a  wise  one,  else  he  would  manage  his  affairs  bet- 
ter. Oh,  if  Sir  Alfred  could  have  known  how  many 
times  poor  Helen  cried  herself  to  sleep,  and  seen  her 
in  the  morning  as  she  bathed  her  swollen  eyes  and 
coaxed  her  complexion  not  to  tell  tales.  But  he  never 
even  imagined  anything  of  the  sort.  He  thought  her 
all  but  incapable  of  emotion;  the  one  exception  to 
her  usual  demeanor — engraven  on  fond  memory — be- 
ing his  only  proof  of  her  womanliness. 

He  had  watched,  actually  watched,  to  see  if  she 
ever  entered  any  of  the  gambling  establishments  fre- 
quented by  women.  He  had  never  seen  her  drink 
nor  bet  on  the  races,and  this  knowledge  was  a  ray  of 
happiness  to  his  otherwise  desolate  heart. 

Once,  when  walking  past  a  florist's,  he  sauntered 
in,  and  taking  a  fancy  to  some  roses,  ordered  a  bou- 
quet. He  had  no  distinct  idea  what  he  would  do 
with  it.    Perhaps  Agnes  could  use  it! 

An  hour  later,  Helen,  in  her  room,  arrayed  in  pink 
satin  and  lace,  was  bending  over  the  same  bouquet. 
A  tear  dropped  among  its  petals;  but  she  drew  her- 
self up  saying:  "I  wron't  wear  his  flowers.  I'll  have 
my  revenge ;  I'll  bring  him  to  my  feet  and  then  spurn 
him  from  me." 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


173 


When  she  and  Joe  and  Mrs.  Daniels  passed  into  the 
ball-room  they  happened  to  locate  near  Sir  Alfred. 
He  asked  her  to  promenade  with  him.  "Let  me  see 
your  program,"  he  said. 

"Here  it  is.    It  is  about  full,  though." 

"Not  quite;  here  is  a  quadrille,  a  waltz  and  a 
polka." 

"Why,  you've  taken  the  waltz  and  the  polka  and 
you  don't  dance  round  dances  at  all." 

"Well,  you'll  be  tired  when  you  reach  those  num- 
bers and  we  will  rest  and  talk.  I  don't  really  see 
how  women  can  dance  all  evening.  It's  a  wonder 
they  have  any  health." 

"Fiddlesticks!  The  woman  who  dances  and 
moves  about  most  has  the  best  health.  It's  the  one 
who  lounges  about  and  sleeps  until  near  noon  who 
feels  lifeless.  But  I  have  an  apology  to  offer  for  not 
wearing  your  roses;  they  did  not  match  my  dress, 
and  then  you  men  seem  to  think  that  we  can  carry 
any  amount  of  bric-a-brac  about  with  us.  Our  trains 
are  quite  enough,  I  should  think." 

"No  apology  is  necessary,  Miss  Herman;  I  didn't 
really  expect  you  to  carry  it.  In  fact  I  bought  it 
for  Miss  Easton,  but  found  that  Mr.  Algernon  Du 
Boise  had  gotten  ahead  of  me.  I'm  sorry  that  I 
bothered  you  with  them." 

"No,  I'm  glad  I  have  them;  they  will  go  nicely 
with  a  basket  of  fruit  I  am  going  to  take  to  some 
orphan  children  in  the  morning." 

"I  didn't  know  that  gay,  careless  women  like  your- 
self, and  one  who  receives  as  much  attention  as  you 
do,  ever  wasted  a  thought  on  any  poor  unfortu- 
nates." 


174 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"Oh,  I  can  afford  to  give  flowers  that  I  do  not 
have  to  pay  for;  and  besides,  if  there  is  anything  in 
the  world  that  claims  my  sympathy,  it  is  an  orphan 
child." 

"How  old  were  you  when  you  lost  your  parents?" 

"They  were  both  killed  in  a  railroad  accident 
when  I  was  but  little  more  than  a  year  old." 

"And  had  you  no  female  relative  to  take  care  of 
you?" 

"No,  I  had  a  very  faithful  nurse,  but  she  died 
when  I  was  fourteen.  But  a  creature  like  me  did 
not  need  nurturing,  and  having  lived  so  long  as  I 
have  without  affection  I  am  insured  against  ever 
needing  it. "  And  she  laughed.  Sir  Alfred  looked 
at  her,  half  suspecting  her  mirth  was  forced,  and 
bending  nearer  he  whispered  something  that  was 
quite  tender,  to  which  she  quickly  replied: 

"Oh,  pshaw!  Women  don't  think  of  such  things 
as  they  once  did.  The  girl  is  happiest  who  has  the 
greatest  number  of  young  men  at  her  beck  and  call; 
she  don't  have  deep,  solemn  questions  puzzling  her, 
making  her  wrinkled  and  old;  she  doesn't  want  a 
husband  to  prove  faithless,  and  children  to  break  her 
heart.  Why,  a  married  woman's  joys  are  her  torture; 
her  husband,  if  he  respects  her,  is  a  tyrant,  expect- 
ing of  her  what  she  is  disappointed  in  if  she  expects 
the  same  of  him.  You  know  it's  nice  to  make  and 
execute  your  own  laws.  Oh,  all  of  these  little  un- 
pleasant things  could  be  avoided  if  girls  were  a  little 
less  earnest  in  their  love  and  a  little  more  serious  in 
their  flirtations.  You  understand  I  carry  a  flirtation 
just  far  enough  to  make  it  interesting,  but  never  get 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


175 


real  serious — so  much  involved  that  some  other  good- 
looking  man  will  not  do  as  well.  Now  there  is  your 
friend;  he's  splendid  company,  and  Joe  Easton,  the 
manliest  boy  that  ever  drew  breath.  But  here  is  his 
lordship  now,"  and  they  watched  him  approach, 
happy  and  smiling,  past  battery  after  battery  of 
bright,  expectant  eyes.  Many  were  the  fair  girls 
whose  hearts  fell  as  he  passed  them  by,  and  many 
were  the  fathers,  who,  though  unused  to  prayer,  si- 
lently thanked  heaven  for  its  watchful  care! 

"This  dance  is  mine,"  his  lordship  said  upon 
reaching  Helen's  side. 

"Yes,  I  know."  Sir  Alfred  retreated  a  few  steps 
and  stood  watching. 

"Let  me  bring  you  a  glass  of  wine  before  the  dance 
begins.  I  noticed  you  tired  considerably  before  the 
last  was  done.  Your  cheeks  are  not  as  rosy  as  they 
were  in  the  country.  The  air  and  water  of  Saratoga 
do  not  seem  to  agree  with  you;  you  will  have  to  try 
the  English  climate."  This  was  said  in  a  low  tone, 
but  Sir  Alfred  heard  and  was  even  guilty  of  listening. 

"I  believe  I  will  try  a  glass  of  wine  if  you  will  be 
kind  enough  to  bring  it." 

Just  as  she  was  raising  the  glass  to  her  lips  she 
encountered  the  stern,  contemptuous  gaze  of  Joe 
Easton,  who  had  come  to  deliver  a  commission  from 
Agnes.  Her  hand  shook  and  the  wine  spilled  over 
silk  and  laces.  "Here,  Your  Lordship,  take  it,  please; 
I  don't  believe  I  want  it.  I'm  not  feeling  well  and 
if  you  will  excuse  me,  and  Mr.  Easton  will  escort 
me  (Joe  quickly  offered  his  arm),  I  will  go  to  Mrs, 
Daniels, " 


176 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


Sir  Alfred  turned  on  his  heel  and  left,  perfectly- 
bewildered,  saddened  beyond  anything  his  pessimis- 
tic life  had  ever  known. 

His  lordship  stood  holding  the  glass,  indignant, 
and  at  a  loss  what  to  do.  Just  then  he  felt  a  rousing 
slap  on  his  back  and  heard  a  familiar  voice  in  his 
ear.  "Hello,  old  boy;  how's  your  good  health? 
What  makes  you  look  so  fresh  and  cheerful  and  what 
are  you  doing  with  that  champagne?  better  let  me 
drink  it,"  and  the  young  man  took  the  glass  and 
drained  it. 

"How  are  you,  Mr.  Snib?  I  didn't  know  you  were 
in  Saratoga, "  his  lordship  returned,  glancing  around 
to  see  if  anyone  had  noticed  the  vulgar  caress  on  his 
aristocratic  back. 

"Well,  I'm  right  here;  and  I  consider  myself 
strictly  in  it.  Why,  you're  like  a  full-blown  rose, 
especially  your  nose.  You're  taking  too  much  whis- 
ky; you'd  better  dilute  it  and  lessen  the  dose,  or, 
better  still,  take  the  treatment.  We  have  anti-drunk 
institutions  all  over  the  country,  and  some  of  the 
largest  have  from  three  to  five  hundred  jags  all  the 
time.  The  process  is  almost  painless  except  for  a 
devilish  sore  arm.  If  you  want  to  try  it,  why,  I  won't 
tell  on  you;  on  the  dead  I  won't!" 

"I  assure  you,  Mr.  Snib,  that  I  don't  need  the 
treatment,"  his  lordship  returned  in  alow  voice.  "I 
drink  a  little,  but  never  get  drunk.  Englishmen 
never  get  drunk. " 

"I  understand,  no  man  ever  did  need  the  treat- 
ment, just  as  women  never  lace  or  allow  themselves 
to  be  kissed  by  any  other  man  but  their  husband!" 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


ITT 


His  lordship's  temper  arose  as  he  expostulated  in 
vain. 

"Well  then,  it  beats  me  what  makes  your  face  so 
red. " 

^ Really,  Mr.  Snib,  is  my  face  red?'' 

"As  a  boiled  lobster," 

"Oh,  heavens,  what  shall  I  do?" 

'•Go  to  your  room  and  soak  your  head  in  ice  water, 
and  then  take  a  cold  bath  and  you'll  be  all  right.'' 

'•But  I'm  engaged  for  every  dance  for  the  next 
three  hours. " 

"Just  let  me  take  your  place.  I'll  make  the  best 
excuse  in  the  world.  I  wanted  to  dance  with  that 
beautiful  Miss  Herman,  but  her  card  was  full  when 
I  found  her. " 

"Miss  Herman  was  feeling  indisposed  and  has 
gone  to  her  room."  his  lordship  said,  eying  the 
swaggering  Adolphus  suspiciDusly. 

"The  devil  she  has!  Well,  I'll  take  Miss  Easton, 
but  I  won't  dance  with  that  pigeon-toed  Miss  Young, 
— Miss  Old  it  ought  to  be  read, — not  if  she  owned 
the  moon  and  fenced  at  that!  I  guess  you'd  better 
stay  until  that's  off;  you  can  probably  keep  on 
your  legs  that  long,"  and  young  Snib  walked 
away,  leaving  his  lordship  with  the  empty  glass  in 
his  hand,  inwardly  cursing  American  vulgarity. 

Joe  and  Helen  took  the  elevator  and  were  quickly 
on  the  third  floor.  "Come  and  sit  by  this  window," 
Joe  said,  leading  her  to  a  lovely  alcove. 

"Joe,  I  know  you  are  going  to  scold." 

"Well,  Helen,  the  fact  is,  I'm  a  little  surprised." 

"So  am  I,  Joe. " 


178 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"I  never  saw  you  act  like  that  before.  You  know 
you  were  just  joking  with  me  at  home." 

"I  never  was  so  reckless  before." 

"There  are  lots  of  temptations  here;  it's  like  liv- 
ing in  hell  and  not  getting  scorched.  Sometimes  I 
have  been  scarcely  able  to  resist  the  temptation  to 
take  a  social  glass. " 

"Don't  you  ever  do  it,  Joe,"  Helen  said  quickly. 

"I  hope  1  never  shall.  This  constant  swilling  dis- 
gusts me;  and  then  total  abstinence  here  distin- 
guishes one  from  the  common  herd." 

"That  is  something,  Joe,  to  be  distinguished  by 
being  real  decent.  Oh,  I  would  give  anything  if  I 
had  not  made  that  public  exhibition  of  myself.  I 
wear  the  white  ribbon,  too.  I'll  leave  it  off  here- 
after, but  I'll  never  offer  to  drink  again.  " 

"I  hope  you'll  stick  to  it,  Helen.  You  don't  know 
how  I  felt  when  I  saw  you  with  that  glass  at  your 
lips,  nor  what  men  think  of  women  who  drink  and 
gamble.  I  think  a  great  deal  of  you,  Helen;  you 
have  talked  to  me  as  no  other  woman  ever  did,  not 
even  Agnes;  you  have  given  me  higher  ideas  and  I 
want  you — I  want  you — to  be  my  friend." 

"And  you  are  already  my  friend,  my  brother, 
rather,"  she  said,  with  swimming  eyes.  Here  some 
one  passed  them,  but  they  failed  to  notice  it,  and  a 
moment  later  Helen  went  to  her  room,  after  having 
secured  Joe's  promise  to  go  with  her  next  morning 
on  her  errand  of  mercy,  for  she  really  intended  go- 
ing. 

Once  in  her  room  a  flood  of  tears  came  to  her  re- 
lief, and  as  she  knelt  by  her  bed  and  prayed  with  an 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


179 


aching  heart,  these  words  in  a  light,  fresh  voice 
floated  in  at  the  open  window: 

"  Many  a  heart  is  aching, 
After  the  ball." 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

The  next  morning  Joe  and  Helen  made  their  call 
before  breakfast,  and  upon  their  return,  our  party, 
with  the  exception  of  his  lordship,  breakfasted  at 
nine.  Then  they  rode  to  Columbian  Spring. the  one 
Mrs.  Daniels  patronized,  or  rather  the  one  she  was 
patronizing  then,  for  she  changed  several  times  dur- 
ing her  stay.  After  that,  Joe  and  the  two  girls  went 
to  Congress  Park,  which  presented  the  same  gay 
scene  it  had  the  day  before,  and  would  again  to-mor- 
row. 

As  they  strolled  along,  whom  should  they  meet  but 
George  Sanderson?  Joe  grasped  his  hand,  introduced 
Helen,  and  then  said:  -"This  is  Agnes;  you  remember 
her  and  I'm  sure  she  remembers  you."  Agnes  grew 
deathly  pale  and  Joe,  to  settle  the  embarrassment, 
said,  "I've  got  two  on  my  hands.  George,  and  I'm 
glad  of  your  timely  appearance. "  and  taking  Helen's 
arm  he  led  on. 

"There,  Joe,  they  are  playing  'The  Star  Spangled 
Banner.'  I  never  hear  patriotic  music  that  I  don't 
feel  emotion  and  enthusiasm,  and  I  have  often  won- 
dered if  it  was  universal  with  people.  I  wonder  if 
the  people  of  oth^r  countries  feel  the  same  when  they 
hear  their  national  airs/' 


180 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"Of  course  they  do.  I  tell  you  there's  something 
in  patriotism ;  it  is  a  feeling  distinct  from  all  others. 
We  feel  love,  sorrow,  hate,  disgust,  reverence  and 
we  feel  patriotism,  and  the  man  who  isn't  moved  by 
it  is  a  dead  soul,  and  though  he  were  worth  millions 
we  could  lose  him  without  a  sigh.  'Why,  I  would 
stick  to  my  country  if  heaven  forsook  her." 

uSo  would  I.  But  because  there  is  no  fighting 
to  be  done  we  mustn't  conclude  there  is  nothing  to 
do.  If  America  is  rid  of  foreign  oppression  she  is 
by  no  means  free  from  herself.  And  you  surely  see 
in  all  these  clashing  of  interests,  if  not  actual  war, 
the  imminent  danger  to  our  welfare  as  a  united  na- 
tion. 'A  house  divided  against  itself  cannot  stand,' 
and  a  country  is  a  household  in  a  large  sense." 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

And  this  was  the  woman  Sir  Alfred  was  trying  in 
vain  to  shut  out  of  his  heart,  out  of  his  thought.  No 
wonder  he  had  learned  to  love  her,  for  no  acting,  no 
assumed  carelessness  can  entirely  hide  the  effulgent 
light  of  a  noble  nature;  nor  can  crude  expressions 
of  half-fledged,  erratic  ideas  condemn  one  naturally 
gifted.  And  while  he  fancied  that  he  tried  to  avoid 
her  he  found  himself  ever  near  her.    As  for  her — 

"There  is  an  unseen  battle-field 
In  every  human  breast, 
Where  two  contending  forces  meet, 
But  where  they  seldom  rest." 


A  NEW  WO  MAX 


1-1 


Her  love  for  Sir  Alfred  and  her  personal  ambitions 
were  waging  what  she  knew  must  prove  a  decisive 
battle,  for  if  she  chose  to  go  on  with  her  professional 
career,  her  love  must  be  crucified,  and  if  she  married 
Sir  Alfred,  it  would  mean  an  eternal  farewell  to 
those  dreams,  those  hopes  she  had  cherished  from 
early  childhood.  Then  his  treatment  of  her  pained 
her  almost  beyond  endurance;  she  could  not  under- 
stand it,  but  wondered  if  it  were  not  the  promptings 
of  a  conservative  nature — an  attempt  to  check  what 
he  thought  might  be  obnoxious  to  her,  and  quite  use- 
less to  entertain. 

Upon  returning  to  the  hotel,  Agnes  went  directly 
to  her  aunt's  room. 

"Are  you  dressed  for  dinner,  dear?" 

"Yes,  Auntie,  I'm  not  going  to  dress  again  until 
evening.    I  want  to  talk  to  you." 

"Oh,  have  you  decided  about  your  dress?" 

uNo,  it's  not  about  that  at  all.  I'm  not  going  to 
marry  Lord  Avon." 

uXot  going  to  marry  him!" 

"No,  the  engagement  was  broken  on0  before  we  left 
the  country. " 

"Why,  Agnes!    You  told  me  nothing  about  it!" 

"Well,  I'm  going  to  tell  you  all  about  it  now. 
Y'ou  don't  think  me  deceitful  and  scheming,  do  you, 
Auntie?" 

"Xo,  no,  but  I'm  sorry  you  didn't  confide  in  me. 
Older  people  ought  to  be  consulted  in  such  matters." 

"Well,  you  remember  George  Sanderson,"  and 
then, as  was  her  wont  when  she  had  anything  lengthy 
and  hard  to  relate,  she  began  boldly,  and  rapidly 


182 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


related  the  main  points,  telling  of  her  indifference 
to  Lord  Avon,  of  Joe's  meeting  George,  and  the  old 
feelings  that  news  of  him  awakened  in  her;  Helen's 
plan  to  save  her  and  how  she  had  released  his  lord- 
ship. Then  she  rather  bluntly  said:  "And  George  is 
here  and  I  have  promised  to  marry  him. " 

"Oh,  Agnes,  you  hasty  child,  why  didn't  you  wait 
until  you  had  seen  me?" 

"Why,  you  always  liked  George,  and  now  he  is 
such  a  good  man  and  such  a  gentleman!" 

"What  does  he  do?" 

"He  is  a  temperance  lecturer." 

"But  you  are  both  so  young,  and  he  is  poor.  You 
won't  have  five  dollars  where  you've  had  a  hundred. " 

"Oh,  we'll  get  along.  I'm  not  thinking  about 
money  matters." 

"No,  I  suppose  not;  young  people  seldom  do  when 
they  are  in  love  and  want  to  marry.  What  do  you 
suppose  you  would  know  about  taking  care  of  a  sick 
baby?" 

"Oh,  dear,  I'm  not  thinking  of  babies,  either," 
Agnes  returned,  with  a  very  red  face. 

"But  no  woman  ought  to  enter  the  married  state 
ignorant  of  its  responsibilities." 

"But  how  much  more  would  I  have  known  if  I  had 
married  the — the — other  one." 

"Well,  I  didn't  exactly  approve  of  that,  either, 
but  you  know  I  wasn't  consulted  then.  What  will 
your  father  say?" 

"I  will  write  to  him  this  evening.  There's  Joe's 
voice;  he's  coming  to  take  us  to  dinner.  Now,  aunt, 
don't  look  cross;  George  will  be  so  glad  to  see  you; 
oh,  he's  with  Joe!" 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


188 


A  moment  later  Mrs.  Daniels  was  shaking  hands 
with  George;  she  also  kissed  his  cheek,  and  as  she 
did  so,  Sir  Alfred  stepped  out  of  the  elevator  and 
witnessed  the  affecting  little  scene.  "Are  the  ladies 
ready  to  go  down  to  dinner?"  he  asked,  approaching 
them.  Then  after  the  introduction  Joe  assigned 
Mrs.  Daniels  to  Sir  Alfred,  Agnes  to  George  and 
started  himself  to  find  [Helen,  only  to  find  himself 
forestalled  by  his  lordship. 

Sir  Alfred  was  so  befuddled  that  he  began  to  doubt 
his  own  wits.  There  sat  Agnes  with  the  stranger, 
both  smiling  and  happy  as  if  newly  wedded.  He 
glanced  at  her  hand  and  saw  in  place  of  the  diamond 
a  modest  pearl,  His  lordship  was  perfectly  oblivious 
to  everything  except  his  conversation  with  Helen. 
What  could  it  mean?  and  as  soon  as  the  ladies  were 
disposed  of  he  laid  his  hand  on  his  friend's  arm  and 
requested  a  private  interview  at  once. 

"What  the  devil  is  the  meaning  of  this,  old 
friend?"  Sir  Alfred  asked,  as  soon  as  they  were  alone. 

"The  meaning  of  what?" 

"Why,  I  thought  I  came  to  this  country  to  act  as 
best  man  for  you." 

"And  I  hope  you  will  not  be  disappointed;  how- 
ever, the  bride  will  not  be  the  one  we  first  supposed. " 

"Then  I  am  to  understand  that  the  engagement 
between  you  and  Miss  Easton  is  off."  Sir  Alfred 
looked  at  his  friend  in  supreme  contempt. 

"The  lady  saw  fit  to  dismiss  me.  I  admit  that  it 
broke  me  up  a  little  at  the  time,  but  the  charming 
Miss  Herman  would  replace  an  angel." 

"So  you  are  affianced  to  Miss  Herman,  are  you?" 


184 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"I  regret  to  say,  my  dear  friend,  that  I  am  not  at 
the  present  time,  but  I  hope  to  be  soon." 

"You  are  an  avowed  suitor,  then?" 

"Yes,  and  that  impertinent  Joe  Easton  knows  it, 
but  he  is  dishonorable  enough  to  try  to  supplant  me," 
and  with  this  well-aimed  thrust  he  left  the  room. 

Sir  Alfred  stared  absent-mindedly  out  of  the  win- 
dow at  the  throng  on  the  lawn.  Although  he  had 
resigned  the  idea  of  marrying  Helen,  he  recoiled  at 
the  thought  of  any  one  else  having  her,  and  now  he 
must  stand  back  for  his  lordship,  and  then  for  Joe 
Easton.  Well,  it  would  do  no  harm  to  see  her  now, 
he  thought,  and  he  resolved  to  be  with  her  as  much 
as  possible.  Noticing  his  party  upon  the  lawn,  he 
went  down  and  secured  a  position  near  them. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

A  boy  came  along  scattering  handbills.  "Oh,  a 
play  I"  Helen  exclaimed.    "I'm  going. " 

"I  don't  believe  auntie  will  let  us;  she  doesn't  ap- 
prove of  theaters,"  Agnes  said. 

"She  won't  need  to  go.  You  will  take  me,  won't 
you,  Joe?" 

"Gladly." 

"Oh,  Miss  Herman,  you  never  ask  a  favor  of  me, 
your  devoted  slave,"  his  lordship  whispered. 

"But  I  will  ask  you  to  dance  with  me  to-night; 
you  waltz  divinely." 

"I'll  dance  the  limit  with  you  and  that  is  three 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


185 


waltzes  and  two  polkas.    Be  sure  to  keep  them  for  . 
me.    Let's  drive  out  to  the  lake  and  have  a  boat- 
ride." 

"Oh,  please  don't  ask  me  to  move.  I'm  too  in- 
dolent and  this  air  is  too  enervating. " 

"Well,  I  must  move,  I  have  an  engagement,"  his 
lordship  returned,  a  little  piqued. 

"And  you  would  have  neglected  that  for  me?  How 
kind  of  you!  Well,  I  will  go  to-morrow  if  you  wish." 

"I'll  remember,"  he  said,  as  he  turned  to  go. 

"Joe,  you  promised  to  take  Aunt  Kate  and  me  out 
to  Mount  McGregor  this  afternoon." 

"By  George,  I  did!  Glad  you  reminded  me  of  it, 
Agnes.    Would  you  like  to  go,  Helen?" 

"I'd  love  to  go,  Joe,  but  I'm  too  lazy,"  she  said, 
smiling. 

When  they  had  been  gone  a  short  time  Helen  said 
to  Agnes,  "You  are  my  oracle;  would  there  be  any- 
thing improper  in  my  going  out  for  an  hour  or  two?" 

"I  shouldn't  think  you  would  want  to.  The  streets 
are  crowded  and  you  might  meet  with  an  accident. 
Can't  you  wait  until  to-morrow?" 

"I  want  to  go  to-day,  and — well,  I'm  going,  that's 
all." 

Sir  Alfred  came  forward  and  offered  his  company. 
Helen  blushingly  accepted. 

"Where  do  you  wish  to  go?"  he  asked,  as  they 
were  stepping  into  the  carriage. 

"I'll  give  the  orders,"  she  replied.  He  wondered 
what  on  earth  she  was  up  to  now. 

"Let's  drive  around  awhile,"  he  ventured. 

"Well,  after  I  get  through  with  my  errand.  You 


186 


A  np:w  woman 


know  I'm  going  to  seek  a  theatrical  engagement  and 
begin  my  stage  life." 

"What!  Not  that  I'm  surprised  at  anything,  but 
I  didn't  know  you  meant  to  begin  so  soon.  I  thought 
it  was  something  in  the  future." 

"I've  idled  too  long  now.  I  am  disgusted  to 
think  how  I  have  wasted  this  summer,  when  there's 
so  much  to  be  done." 

Then  Tie  again  offered  her  his  stock  arguments 
against  such  a  step,  only  to  be  met  with  the  scathing 
remark  that  self-satisfied,  ambitionless  people  were 
a  dead  weight  to  the  world,  and  the  worst  class  of  sin- 
ners, in  her  estimation. 

"But  if  you  must  do  reform  work,  why  don't  you 
choose  a  more  likely  line  than  the  theater?" 

"They  say  the  way  to  every  man's  heart  is  through 
his  stomach,  and  the  way  to  the  people's  minds  is 
through  their  amusements.  Why,  they  used  to  teach 
religion  through  the  means  of  'miracle'  plays.  I 
tell  you  there's  no  field  but  the  novelist's,  that  com- 
pares with  the  stage  as  a  teacher  and  a  reformer. 
And  there  is  no  other  class  of  people  so  unjustly 
abused  as  actors  and  actresses." 

"That  is  simply  because  you  don't  know  anything 
about  them.  I'm  not  surprised  when  a  fifteen-year 
old  country  girl  runs  off  with  a  troupe,  but  I  must 
confess  that  I  am  perfectly  dum founded  when  a 
woman  of  your  age  and  natural  intelligence  deliber- 
ately enters  such  work.  And  do  you  think  you  will 
be  received  into  any  company  of  worth  without  prep- 
aration?" 

"Why,  my  good  man,  I've  been  studying  for  six 
years." 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


187 


"Have  you  had  any  lessons?" 
"Yes,  for  three  years.     I've  been  taking  three 
lessons  a  week  this  last  year,  from  an  artist  too." 
"What  will  Lord  Avon  say?" 

"He  will  scold  and  pet  rne  and  exhaust  his  elo- 
quence trying  to  dissuade  me,  but  it  won't  do  him 
any  good. " 

"Well,  I  think  you  are  a  sample  of  the  times,  Miss 
Herman.    Shall  I  go  in  with  you?" 

"Oh,  no,  indeed;  just  wait  here  or  go  into  the 
office. 

"Is  the  manager  of  the  Metropolitan  in?"  she 
asked  the  clerk. 

"Yes.    He  just  came  in. " 

"I  will  go  to  the  parlor,  if  you  will  kindly  show 
me  the  way.  Tell  him,  please,  that  a  woman  would 
like  to  see  him. " 

"One  more  unfortunate!"  the  manager  ejaculated. 
"Can't  you  tell  her  that  I'm  out?" 

"I've  already  told  her  that  you  were  in.  You'd 
better  go  and  see  her,  she's  a  stunner." 

"One  of  the  sweet  sixteen  kind." 

"Not  much." 

"Well,  I  suppose  I  must,  but  hereafter  tell  them 
I'm  out  or  sick,  or  anything  plausible." 

"You  are  the  manager  of  the  Metropolitan,  I  pre- 
sume,"  Helen  said.  "My  name  is  Helen  Herman 
and  I  have  come  to  see  if  I  can  secure  a  position  in 
your  company." 

"No,  not  now;  there  is  no  vacancy." 

"But  I  thought  you  might  want  to  engage  ahead; 
or  that  you  might  have  a  vacancy  soon." 


188 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"It's  always  an  easy  matter  to  find  a  woman.'' 

"What,  a  good  actress  easy  to  find?" 

"Why,  yes.  We  have  a  score  of  applications. 
What  experience  have  you  had?" 

"I  have  never  been  on  the  stage,  but  I  have  had 
three  years'  instructions.  Here  is  my  recommenda- 
tion from  my  last  teacher." 

"Oh!"  he  exclaimed,  as  he  caught  the  signature. 

"I  am  my  best  in  such  parts  as  Meg  Merrilies  and 
Lady  Macbeth.  I  can  play  any  tragedy,  but  I'm 
afraid  I  couldn't  do  the  sentimental." 

"Do  you  think  you  could  shed  real  tears  on  the 
stage?" 

"I  could  do  anything  under  the  inspiration  of  a 
large  audience. " 

"Do  you  think  you  could  play  such  parts  as 
Camille  and  Odette?" 

"I  might,  but  I'd  much  rather  play  heavier  parts, 
and  then  I'm  conscientious  about  it.  I  don't  really 
believe  such  are  very  edifying." 

"You  may  be  right,  but  it  is  not  what  a  woman 
does  while  on  the  stage,  but  her  conduct  in  private 
life,  that  degrades  the  profession.  But  I  didn't  go 
into  business  for  the  purpose  of  ennobling  it;  it's 
purely  a  matter  of  business  with  me.  How  old  are 
you?" 

"I  am  in  my  twenty-first  year  and  have  no  rela- 
tives living." 

"And  no  young  gentleman  friend  who  will  jump 
onto  me  and  threaten  to  blow  my  brains  out?" 

"No,  no." 

"I  have  no  place  now  and  don't  know  exactly 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


189 


when  I  will  have.  Are  you  really  in  need  of  employ- 
ment?*' 

"Oh,  no.  I'm  an  heiress.  I  have  chosen  this  sim- 
ply because  I  think  I'm  fitted  for  it,"  " 

The  shrewd  manager's  small  eyes  twinkled  at  this. 
This  business  was  worth  investigating  after  all!  Per- 
haps the  young  woman  couldn't  act,  but  her  appear- 
ance was  certainly  magnificent  and  her  being  rich 
would  be  quite  a  card.  Bu,t  how  much  was  she 
worths  he  wondered.  "You  are  an  orphan,  twenty 
years  old  and  heiress  to — a  hundred  thousand?" 

"My  prospects  are  much  brighter  than  that,"  she 
said  modestly.  "My  estate  is  valued  at  something 
over  three  millions." 

Mr.  Vaut's  mind  was  made  up.  This  was  certainly 
luck!  For  he  would  hire  her  on  a  small  salary,  take 
her  to  London  and  make  a  barrel  of  money! 

"Miss  Herman,  I'm  not  a  rich  man;  I  can't  pay 
you  a  sufficiently  large  salary  to  induce  you  to  accept 
a  place  in  my  company.  I  have  always  given  the 
lighter  dramas,  but  if  my  leading  lady  could  play 
heavy  parts  I  would  change  our  repertoire,  I  think. " 

"Oh,  I'm  sure  I  could  please  you." 

"I  will  give  you  a  trial  to-morrow  afternoon  if  you 
will  come  to  the  rehearsal." 

"I  will  be  there.    At  what  time?" 

"Half  past  two." 

"You  can  depend  on  me,"  she  said,  and  took  her 
departure. 

"Xow  where  shall  we  go?"  Sir  Alfred  asked. 
"Out  to  Woodlawn;  there's  so  much  room  there. 
I  like  lots  of  room." 


190 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"You'll  hardly  find  it  in  the  business  you've 
chosen.  Well,  how  did  you  succeed?"  he  asked  with 
feigned  indifference. 

"Better  than  I  had  hoped.  He  told  me  to  come 
for  a  trial  at  the  rehearsal  to-morrow.  It's  all  right. 
I'll  get  the  place. " 

"You  have  plenty  of  self-assurance,  Miss  Her- 
man. " 

"'Those  who  doubt  themselves  have  reason  to,' 
some  great  man  has  said." 

"Miss  Herman,  you  are  the  first  woman  I  ever  met 
that  I  couldn't  understand  if  I  chose." 

"Any  woman  can  deceive  a  man  if  she  wants  to." 

"Then  you  don't  want  me  to  understand  you?" 

"The  truth  is,  Sir  Alfred,  that  I  don't  exactly  un- 
derstand myself.  I  used  to  think  I  knew  myself  per- 
fectly. I  used  to  think  it  was  better  to  be  engaged 
constantly  in  reform  work;  to  be  always  working  in 
some  cause.  I  longed  to  be  as  the  respectable  mar- 
ried woman  is — that  is,  her  style.  You  know  she  is 
very  dignified,  proud  of  herself,  thanking  God  that 
she  is  not  as  other  women  are.  That  may  be  the 
proudest  attitude  and  I  used  to  fancy  it  ;  but  since 
I  've  known  you,  I've  been  tempted  to  fling  care  to 
the  winds,  mingle  with  the  herd,  laugh  when  they 
laugh  and  forget  that  sorrow,  misery  and  desolation 
are  •  n  every  hand;  to  shut  my  ears  to  the  cries  of  the 
weak  and  helpless,  and  laugh  while  heaven  and  the 
angels  weep. " 

"Oh,  Miss  Herman,  you've  misunderstood  me;  it 
was  never  my  intention  to  make  you  careless  or  friv- 
olous." 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


191 


*'Yet  more  than  once  you  have  said,  'Why  bother 
yourself  about  these  things?  you  do  not  need  to. 
Leave  such  things  for  older  and  wiser  heads. '  Sir 
Alfred  Gates,  don't  you  believe  that  'knowledge  of 
duty  done  is  rich  reward?'  One's  life  may  be  hard, 
disappointments  and  sorrows  may  strew  the  way 
from  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  but  it  is  something"  to 
know  when  he  has  reached  the  last  station  that  the 
world  is  better  for  his  having  lived  in  it.  " 


CHAPTER  XL. 

Two  days  later,  when  our  party  was  seated  upon 
the  lawn,  a  messenger  brought  Helen  a  note. 

••I  must  go  down-town,  Joe;  won't  yougo  with  me 
to  act  as  protector?  Agnes  is  afraid  I  will  try  to 
run  a  race  with  a  street  car,  or  try  to  dash  in  front 
of  one  just  for  the  novelty  of  the  thing." 

"Certainly.  "I'll  get  a  carriage.'' 

"No.  I'm  in  a  hurry,"  she  said  in  an  undertone. 
"Just  call  a  cab. 

"Oh,  Joe,  my  chance  has  come, "  she  confided  when 
they  were  seated. 

••How?" 

-You  know  Vaut  gave  me  a  trial  yesterday  and 
he  was  so  pleased  that  he  promised  me  work  the 
coming  season ;  but  to-day  his  leading  lady  is  sick, 
seriously,  he  thinks,  and  he  wants  me  to  take  her 
place  right  away.  I'll  play  to-night,  but  don't  yon 
tell  anybody,  and  you  must  intercede  for  me  when  I 


192 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


ask  Mrs.  Daniels  if  I  can  go.  She  won't  want  to 
go,  but  you  might  take  me,  and  Agnes  and  George 
might  be  persuaded  to  go.  Now  don't  expect  me  to 
do  very  well  in  the  rehearsal,  as  empty  seats  are  no 
inspiration. " 

So  Helen  played  Juliet  that  night,  and  although 
she  would  have  preferred  a  heavier  part,  she  did  so 
well  that  the  manager  came  to  her  afterward,  asked 
her  terms  and  insisted  on  a  contract  at  once  and 
told  her  they  would  sail  shortly  for  England. 

"Make  any  conditions  and  any  price;  I  will  sign 
the  contract  at  once.  But  I  have  a  suggestion.  Short 
skirts  are  customary  for  dancing  girls,  but  don't  you 
think  the  dance  could  be  as  gracefully  executed  if 
the  skirts  were  a  little  bit  longer?  Such  things  are 
demoralizing.  And  don't  you  think  the  idea  is 
threadbare?  You  might  make  a  great  hit  if  you  in- 
vented something  new  for  the  ballet." 

Mr.  Vaut  understood  Helen  and  knew  that  he  must 
use  some  show  of  logic  with  her.  uMiss  Herman,  I 
know  you  have  a  good  idea  of  the  artistic,  the  beau- 
tiful, and  you  probably  know  that  to-day  people  are 
more  artistic  and  poetical  than  ever  before.  Now, 
if  you  were  to  go  into  an  art  gallery  and  look  upon 
the  pictures  wrought  by  old  and  renowned  masters, 
would  your  eyes  see  nothing  but  the  nude?  would  not 
the  art,  the  poetry,  the  soul  of  the  thing  stand  nut 
so  conspicuously  that  the  nudity  would  be  lost  sight 
of?  It  is  so  with  the  ballet;  the  ease,  the  grace,  the 
poetry  of  the  movement  is  what  the  refined  see;  only 
the  low  and  the  vulgar  think  of  the  gross  outline. 
'To  the  pure  all  things  are  pure, '  and  surely,  Miss 
Herman — " 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


198 


"Make  out  the  contract  and  I  will  sign  it  at  once. " 

He  wanted  her  to  engage  for  a  year,  but  she  would 
only  hire  for  the  fall  and  winter,  as  her  financial 
affairs  in  America  would  require  her  presence  the 
coming  spring. 

When  she  stepped  out  at  the  stage  door  she  was 
surprised  to  find  Sir  Alfred  waiting  for  her.  "Where's 
Joe?"  she  asked. 

"Miss  Easton  was  not  well  when  she  came,  it 
seems,  and  Joe  had  to  take  her  home.  Are  you  ready?" 

"Oh,  I  guess  she's  just  a  little  nervous  from  the 
emotional  strain  of  the  past  few  days  and  blue  be- 
cause Mr.  Sanderson  had  to  leave  this  afternoon. 
Yes,  I'm  ready.  But  who  told  you  I  was  to  take  part 
to-night. " 

"Why,  I  guessed  it  from  your  maneuvers;  and  I 
knew  you  the  minute  you  came  on." 
"Where  is  your  friend?" 

"At  the  hotel,  I  suppose;  he  wasn't  at  the  thea- 
ter." 

Helen  was  actually  nervous  during  the  ride.  Fi- 
nally she  said:  "I  guess  you  are  not  going  to  offer 
your  opinion,  so  I  shall  ask  you  for  it." 

"You  were  simply  perfect.  But  just  to  satisfy  my 
curiosity,  won't  you  tell  me  something  about  your- 
self and  how  it  is  that  you  are  so  ambitious?" 

"Why,  it's  no  uncommon  thing  to-day  for  women 
to  be  ambitious. " 

"But  you  must  have  had  some  special  inheritance 
of  that  sort." 

"I  don't  know  what  my  parents  were.  I  was  ahvays 
considered  an  odd  child,  but  nothing  remarkable 


194 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


that  I  know  of.  But  it  was  an  old  man  who  lived 
near  us — nurse  and  I — to  whom  I  owe  the  awakening 
of  my  ambitions.  I  believe  that  man  had  read  every- 
thing in  the  English  language;  he  seemed  to  know 
something  about  everything  that  conld  be  mentioned. 
I  used  to  stop  there  on  my  way  to  and  from  school 
for  a  drink  of  water,  when  he  would  talk  to  me  about 
my  lessons  and  tell  me  stories.  Then  he  loaned  me 
books,  but  they  were  beyond  my  years ;  I  remember 
that  he  gave  me  'Plutarch's  Lives'  when  I  was  not 
twelve  years  old.  I  shirked  reading  it  until  he  got  to 
catechising  me  about  the  different  men  and  their  ex- 
ploits. So  I  made  myself  read  two  pages  a  day  and 
then  five  until  I  got  interested.  He'd  pat  me  on 
the  head  and  tell  me  I'd  make  a  great  woman  some 
day;  but  if  I  ever  said  I  disliked  any  book  he  loaned 
me,  he'd  simply  say  that  I  hadn't  read  enough  to 
judge  very  accurately.  That  stirred  my  pride  and  I 
determined  to  inform  myself  on  every  subject  possi- 
ble; that's  how  it  began  and  I'm  not  sorry." 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

The  evening  before  the  day  of  Helen's  departure 
had  arrived  and  she  and  Joe  were  walking  in  Con- 
gress Park.  The  band  was  playing  "Home,  Sweet 
Home." 

"Isn't  the  music  lovely?  But  that  doesn't  mean 
anything  to  me. " 

"Well,  Helen,  it's  your  own  fault.  You  could  have 
your  choice  among  a  dozen." 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


195 


"I  don't  believe  that;  but  I  don't  want  anybody. 
I  think  I'll  probably  settle  down  after  a  term  of  pub- 
lic life,  adopt  three  or  four  orphan  children  and  ed- 
ucate them. " 

"Good  heavens!  Anything. else  you  intend  to  try 
your  hand  at?  But,  mark  my  word:  if  you  goto 
England  you'll  never  come  back  single.  I'm  down 
on  Englishmen,  but  I'll  be  fair  and  admit  that  Lord 
Avon  isn't  a  fair  sample." 

"Oh,  they're  all  right  in  their  own  country,  but 
they  are  out  of  their  place  fortune-hunting  in  Amer- 
ica. Did  you  ever  hear  of  a  titled  foreigner  marry- 
ing a  poor  American  girl?  And  do  you  suppose  his 
lordship  would  have  wanted  Agnes  or  me  either  if  he 
hadn't  known  that  we  had  great  expectations?" 

"And  how  about  the  other  one?" 

"Oh, he  doesn't  want  any, rich  or  poor,  uthaun't 
we  better  go  back?  they  are  dancing  and  I  want  to 
trip  the  light  fantastic  with  his  lordship  before  I 
go." 

"Won't  there  be  weeping  and  wailing  when  he 
knows  you  are  gone?  He'll  want  to  murder  us  all 
for  conspiring  to  keep  it  from  him.  He  thinks  he's 
got  a  mortgage  on  you." 

"I  don't  see  why  he  should.  I  refused  him  twice 
last  night. " 

"S'pose  he  thought  two  negatives  made  an  affirm- 
ative. " 

"Oh,  but  last  night  wasn't  the  first  siege.  Why, 
every  time  I've  danced  or  walked  or  rode  with  him 
the  last  two  weeks,  it's  been  the  same  story." 

"The  great  milksop!" 


196 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


"Don't,  Joe,  I  like  him;  he's  a  perfect  cure  for 
melancholy.  And  he  has  the  loveliest  hair  I  ever 
saw. ' ' 

"Well,  Helen,  don't  entirely  forget  me  when  you 
are  away.    Will  you  write?" 

"Yes,  often,  and  tell  you  everything.  You  are  the 
best  friend  I  have  in  the  world,"  she  said  as  they 
passed  into  the  ball-room. 

The  next  day  Helen  sailed.  No  one  but  the  Eastons 
and  Sir  Alfred  knew  of  it  at  the  time,  but  the  so- 
ciety papers  made  much  of  it  later.  Of  course  her 
friends  had  remonstrated  with  her.  Agnes  cried 
day  and  night;  Mrs.  Daniels  talked,  scolded  and 
pointed  out  every  actress  of  unsavory  reputation  as 
a  warning;  Joe  thought  it  "a  crazy  scheme" and  his 
father  came  up  from  Washington  and  gave  Helen  a 
plain,  straightforward,  fatherly  talk.  Sir  Alfred  said 
nothing,  but  lost  no  opportunity  to  sneer,  which  only 
made  her  more  determined.  She  vowed  that  before 
many  years  should  pass  be  would  know  of  her  play- 
ing on  the  best  stages  of  America  and  England.  So 
she  went  full  of  hope. 

His  lordship  was  almost  beside  himself.  He  raved 
and  wanted  to  wring  Joe's  neck  and  to  meet  Sir  Al- 
fred with  a  gun. 

"What's  the  girl  to  you?"  he  said  to  his  friend 
when  they  were  alone. 

"No  more  than  any  intelligent  woman, "  Sir  Alfred 
answered  calmly. 

"Well,  she's  much  more  than  that  to  me,  I  wish 
you  to  know.  I  would  marry  her  to-morrow  if  she 
were  penniless;  if  she  were  a  chambermaid  in  this 
very  hotel.    Who's  there?" 


A  InE  W  WOMAN 


197 


"Joe  East  on. " 

"What's  your  business?    Come  in,  d — u  you,'? 

"Now,  what's  all  this  row?  Miss  Herman  re- 
quested me  to  keep  her  secret  from  you." 

"Yes,  and  you  two  stood  calmly  by  and  let  that 
girl  go  to  her  ruin." 

"I  imagine  that  Miss  Herman  can  take  care  of 
herself  without  any  of  our  help.  She  has  done  so 
for  twenty  years,"  Joe  said  provokingly. 

"What  do  you  know,  you  upstart?" 

"That  she  has  refused  you,  times  without  number, 
and  a  girl  who  can  refuse  a  title  is  safe  anywhere." 

"She'll  not  find  it  so  on  the  stage  in  London. 
Though  she  were  an  angel  she  would  be  scandalized. 
I  tell  you,  you  don't  know  what  you  are  talking 
about,  you  schoolboy." 

"What  is  it  to  you,  you  curly-pated  dandy?  What 
would  you  care  for  her  if  you  were  not  after  her 
money?  It's  only  her  money  you're  after.  You 
were  engaged  to  my  sister  three  months  ago.  You 
infernal  scoundrel,  there  ought  to  be  some  law-—" 

"Your  sister  deserves  all  respect  from  me.  She 
saw  fit  to  dismiss  me." 

"I  should  have  disowned  her  if  she  hadn't.  Miss 
Herman's  three  millions  had  a  remarkable  effect  on 
your  affections;  it  was  a  case  of  love  at  first  sight!" 

"I'm  not  after  a  rich  wife.  I'd  marry  Miss  Her- 
man if  she  didn't  have  a  cent." 

"Talk  is  cheap!" 

"This  is  my  room,  Mr.  Easton!" 

"And  I'll  vacate  gladly  enough.  But  you  needn't 
jump  onto  Sir  Alfred;  he  had  no  more  to  do  with  it 


198 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


than  the  rest  of  us.  She  knew  you  wouldn't  have 
any  more  of  the  gentleman  about  you  than  to  take 
passage  on  the  same  steamer,  and  a  girl  who  cares 
anything  for  her  reputation  don't  want  you  hanging 
around  her,"  Joe  said,  as  he  slammed  the  door. 

Sir  Alfred  was  as  calm  as  the  proverbial  cucumber 
When  the  door  closed  behind  Joe,  his  lordship  turned 
to  his  friend,  saying: 

"That  bet  can  be  counted  off  so  far  as  I  am  con- 
cerned. I  haven't  won  so  far,  but  if  I  am  fortunate 
enough  to  win  Miss  Herman,  why,  I  won't  accept 
the  money,  so  don't  bother  yourself  on  that  score 
any  longer. " 

"If  you  win  the  bet,  my  lord,  it  will  most  certainly 
be  paid." 

"It  will  not  be  accepted  on  Miss  Herman,  I  want 
you  to  understand.  And  now  that's  all;  I'm  going 
home  on  the  next  vessel." 


CHAPTER  XLII 

Lord  Barnett  was  entertaining  a  few  of  his  bach- 
elor friends  in  a  very  swell  manner  at  a  fashionable 
London  club  house.  The  manager  of  the  Metropol- 
itan had,  by  hook  and  crook,  secured  an  invitation 

"Who  is  our  American  guest? — an  official?"  Sir 
Wm.  Ellerton  asked  of  a  half  drunken  earl  at  his 
side. 

"Oh,  no,  he's  the  theatrical  (hie)  man.  He's  got 
the  damn'dest  (hie)  handsomest  actress  in  all  (hie) 
London.    I  want  to  meet  her.    (hie.)    Mr.  Vaut, 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


199 


my    friend  wants   to  (hie)  know  your  business, 
(hie.)" 

"Why  don't  you  bring  him  to  my  theater.  My 
leading  lady,  if  she  were  playing  at  the  Lyceum  or 
the  Royal,  would  draw  all  London.  And  besides  be- 
ing an  actress,  she  is  an  heiress." 

"Oh,  indeed!"  several  exclaimed,  and  somebody 
said:  "Heiresses  are  thick  in  America,  but  they  don't 
usually  go  upon  the  stage,  do  they?" 

"There's  no  accounting  for  women,"  the  wily 
manager  said.  "You  must  see  my  star  to  appreciate 
her  magnitude  I've  got  her  for  the  winter  and  per- 
haps longer.  But  I  am  surprised  that  Lord  Avon  has 
not  told  of  the  fair  and  rich  American.  Pardon  me, 
My  Lord,  perhaps  you  have  some  private  personal 
interest  in  my  star." 

His  lordship's  blood  boiled;  he  wanted  to  choke 
the  blackguard.  But  speaking  as  calmly  as  he  could, 
"No,  Mr.  Vaut,  I  have  no  other  interest  in  Miss  Her- 
man than  that  which  any  gentleman  should  feel  for  a 
friendless  girl,  but  I  hope  to  soon  have  a  claim  upon 
her  that  will  frustrate  your  plans." 

The  manager  couldn't  understand  the  situation, 
but  risked  this  reply:  "I  beg  your  pardon,  My  Lord, 
but  I  have  as  good  an  opinion  of  Miss  Herman  as  you 
can  possibly  have,  and  I  know  that  she  will  not 
break  her  contract." 

The  next  day  his  lordship  tried  in  vain  to  see 
Helen,  going  repeatedly  to  her  hotel  only  to  find  her 
out.  He  knew  better  than  to  go  to  the  rehearsals, for 
she  never  accepted  company  on  her  trips  to  and  from 
the  theater,  and,  besides,  he  felt  sure  that  he  would 
kill  that  manager  if  he  got  half  a  chance. 


200 


A  new  Woman 


That  night  the  theater  was  packed,  Vaut's  judi- 
cious advertising  at  the  wine-supper  having  accom- 
plished his  purpose.  Helen  was  greeted  with  round 
after  round  of  applause,  encored  and  showered  with 
flowers  and  gifts.    The  manager  was  in  high  glee. 


CHAPTER  XLIIL 

The  next  day  Helen  was  about  to  start  for  the  re- 
hearsal when  a  sharp  knock  sounded  at  the  door. 

"What's  wanted?"  she  asked. 

"The  manager  was  hurt,  perhaps  fatally,  about  a 
half-hour  ago,"  the  messenger,  a  member  of  the 
company,  replied.  "He  was  having  some  new  scen- 
ery hang  and  one  of  the  frames  fell,  striking  him 
on  the  head. " 

"Where  is  he?  we  must  go  to  him  at  once. ?' 

"At  the  hospital,  but  it's  no  use  to  go,  we  wouldn't 
be  allowed  to  see  him.  But  wha  t  are  we  going  to  do? 
He  owed  every  one  of  us — and  the  landlord  a  big 
sum. " 

"Well,  I'll  stana  responsible  for  the  board  bill 
I've  just  got  a  remittance  from  home,"  picking  up 
an  unopened  letter.    "Tell  the  girls  not  to  worry. 
You'd  better  notify  some  of  Mr.  Vaut's  English 
friends,"  and  the  messenger  passed  on. 

She  opened  her  letter  and  found  the  amount  sent 
to  be  one  thousand  dollars,  just  one-half  the  amount 
she  had  asked  for.  "Well,  that  will  do  for  this  emer- 
gency and  I  guess  I  won't  need  the  costumes  for  a 


A  NEW  \V(>MA.\ 


201 


while  at  least  ;  but  why  didn't  I  get  all  I  sent  for?" 
and  as  she  read  her  letter  Lord  Avon's  card  was  sent 
up. 

"Show  him  up,"  she  said. 

••I  was  to  see  you  twice  yesterday,  Helen,"  he  said, 
as  he  sat  down  beside  her. 

"Yes,  but  I  can't  give  you  very  much  time  to-day. 
Our  manager  met  with  perhaps  a  fatal  accident  a 
little  while  ago  and — " 

"Thank  the  Lord  !    Oh,  Helen—" 

"Why,  My  Lord,  I'm  surprised!" 

"Well,  I'm  glad  his  blood  is  not  on  my  hands,  but 
I've  wished  him  dead.  I  had  all  I  could  to  keep  from 
challenging  him  for  his  conduct  at  Lord  Barnett's 
supper. " 

"He  didn't  say  any  harm  of  me?" 

'kXo,  but  he  mentioned  your  name  in  that — " 

"Oh,  well,  that  doesn't  hurt  me  any." 

''Helen,  you  don't  know.  Oh,  darling,  I've  not 
slept,  I've  been  nearly  crazy  the  past  two  days.  You 
must,  you  must  listen  to  advice.  I  love  you,  God 
knows  I  love  you,  but  that's  neither  here  nor  there. 
Just  heed  what  I  tell  you:  you  must  quit  such  a  per- 
ilous calling." 

"Well,  I'm  likely  to  at  least  take  a  vacation,  un- 
less I  get  another  place.  I'm  thinking  of  going  back 
to  America." 

"Oh,  darling,  I  wish  you  would;  and  you  may 
guess  how  dangerous  I  know  it  to  be  here,  to  ask  you 
to  do  such  a  thing.  Go  back  to  your  home  and 
friends. " 

"I  haven't  any  to  go  to." 


202 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


What  do  you  mean?" 

Just  what  I  said.  This  letter  informs  me  that 
my  fortune  has  gone  in  a  bank  failure.  I've  only 
this  thousand  in  all  the  world." 

"Thank  God!  Oh,  Helen,  you  won't  doubt  me 
now.  I  know  you've  always  thought  me  simply  after 
your  money;  and  I'm  glad,  so  happy!  Darling,  I'm 
not  rich,  but  I  can  take  care  of  you.  I  never  worked 
in  my  life,  but  I  could  work  for  you  if  you  would 
come  to  me  now.  Don't  go  back  to  America.  Oh, 
what  more  can  I  say,  what  more  can  I  do  to  prove 
my  love  for  you?" 

"Nothing,"  she  said,  brokenly,  "Your  kindness 
touches  me  deeply — I  do  not  doubt  your  love,  but  I 
do  not  love  you  in  return." 

"But  you  might  learn  to.  Darling,  I'm  a  changed 
man.  I  am  through  with  my  reckless  companions 
and  I  will  live  so  that  you  would —  Oh,  I  know  we 
could  be  happy  together.    Won't  you  be  my  wife?" 

"No,  my  dear  friend,  I  respect  you,  I  like  you, 
but  I  can't  marry  you." 

"Helen,  is  your  answer  final?" 

"Yes,"  she  said,  with  swimming  eyes. 

"My  punishment  has  been  terrible.  A  year  ago  I 
thought  no  American  woman  would  refuse  a  title, 
but  I  must  hereafter  think  better  of  America.  But 
didn't  you  at  first  try  to  lead  me  on?  you  certainly 
didn't  do  it,  Helen,  for  the  pleasure  of  rejecting 
me." 

"No,  no;  it  was  wicked  enough,  though  not  that 
bad.  My  Lord,  you  have  been  so  honorable  with  me 
that  I  must  make  a  confession.  Was  that  some  one 
at  the  door?" 


A  NEW  WOMAN   '  203 

"I  heard  nothing."  And  then  Helen  told  hirn  the 
whole  story  of  the  scheme  for  her  release  of  Agnes. 

"It's  my  punishment,  Helen.  There  was  once  a 
young  girl  who  thought  as  much  of  me  as  I  do  of  you. 
I  took  advantage  of  her  love  and  now  she  is  in  the 
insane  asylum.  Poor  Cleonice,  you  are  now  avenged. " 

"Cleonice  who?" 

"Cleonice  Dupont. " 

"Why,  I  knew  her;  we  were  schoolmates  at  L— . 
She  told  me  her  trouble,  but  not  the  author  of  it. 
You  say  she  is  in  the  asylum?" 

"Yes.  I  suppose  she  sold  her  jewels  and  went  to 
school,  when  she  found  I  was  to  be  married.  I  have 
been  to  see  her  once.  She  didn't  know  me,  but 
calmly  told  me  to  take  my  place  in  the  class.  She 
thinks  she  is  a  Bible  teacher  and  is  trying  to  prove 
to  her  companions  that  the  resurrection  is  at  hand, 
when  we  will  be  reunited."  Helen  started  and 
thought  to  say  that  it  was  Cleonice's  trouble, not  her 
religion,  that  caused  her  insanity,  but  his  lordship 
was  too  impassioned  to  be  interrupted.  "It  was 
awful,  Helen.  Oh,  my  remorse  and  my  love  for  you 
will  kill  me.  I  only  wish  that  such  relief  as  came 
to  her  might  come  to  me;  that  I  might  look  upon  you 
and  not  know  you.  But  I  can't  hope  for  such  mercy. 
I  must  go  now. "  And  taking  her  hand  for  an  instant, 
he  bade  her  good-bye.  Then  at  the  door  he  turned 
and  gave  her  one  look  as  she  stood  weeping  in  the 
middle  of  the  room,  and  wras  gone. 

His  footsteps  had  hardly  died  away  when  the  door 
was  thrown  open  and  Sir  Alfred  entered. 

"Helen,  I  read  of  the  failure  in  the  morning's 


204 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


paper,  and  fearing  it  would  affect  you,  I  resolved  to 
come  and  see  you.  While  on  my  way  here  I  read  of 
the  accident  and  I  rushed  up  without  sending  a  card. 
Hearing  voices  within,  I  stood  undecided  for  a  mo- 
ment and  heard  your  confession  to  my  friend.  Now 
I  wish  to  make  one.  I  didn't  understand;  oh,  how 
I  wish  I  had  known  that  'the  Englishman'  meant  his 
lordship  1" 

"What  do  you  mean?" 

"Helen,  did  it  never  occur  to  you  that  I  loved 
you?" 

"I'm  sure  that  I  never  speculated  much  about  the 
matter.    You  speak  in  riddles,  Sir  Alfred." 

For  once  in  his  life  Sir  Alfred  was  excited;  the 
thought  of  Helen's  position,  the  matter  of  her  con- 
fession, her  refusal  of  his  lordship  and  the  notion 
that  he  had  gathered  from  her  conversation  that  she 
meant  to  quit  the  stage,  being  too  much  for  him. 
Even  his  lordship  had  been,  if  not  more  calm,  at 
least  more  collected  than  he,  as  he  recounted  the 
different  phases  of  his  feelings  since  he  had  known 
her,  and  explained  his  conduct  of  the  last  few 
months. 

"I  was  a  fool.  Why  couldn't  I  have  known?  I  can 
never  forgive  myself  for  my  harshness  toward  you. 
For  you  did,  honestly,  Helen,  didn't  you  care  for  me 
a  little?" 

"Yes,"  Helen  returned  in  a  cold,  calm,  though  not 
hard  voice.  "I  confess  that  I  did,  and  would  at  one 
time  have  renounced  all  my  ambitions  to  become 
your  wife.  My  conscience  and  reason  were  over- 
borne by  my  feelings.  I  thank  you  after  all  for  your 
unkindness. " 


A  NEW  WOMAN 


205 


"Why,  you  haven't  gotten  over  it  so  soon?" 

"Oh,  yes,  I  have.  And  it's  so  queer.  Why,  I 
vowed  I  would  bring  you  to  roy  feet  ;  it  was  my  great- 
est ambition,  and  now  that  you  come,  I  am  perfectly 
indifferent.  Isn't  it  strange?  I've  lived  an  age 
since  morning.  Oh,  I'm  not  going  to  resign  my  am- 
bitions; don't  think  that.  The  world  shall  yet  hear 
of  me  as  a  star  in  my  beloved  calling,  but  things  are 
in  such  a  state  politically  that  I  believe  I  will  en- 
gage at  once  in  lecturing.    I  will  work  for — " 

"You  will  fail, "Sir  Alfred  said,  himself  again,  as 
he  rose  to  leave. 

"I  will  work  for  the  election  of  good  men — not  for 
myself;  yet  I  may  fail,  but  my  beloved  country  shall 
ha\  e  my  best  efforts  at  least.  I  will  be  true  to  her 
in  every  thought  and  deed." 

"A  thankless,  loveless  life, you  will  find.  And  you 
will  sometime  realize  that  as  one  God  rules  the  uni- 
verse, so  one  passion  rules  the  heart,  and  realize  that 

"  'The  light  of  the  whole  world  dies, 
When  love  is  done.'  " 


THE  END. 


SISTER  GRATIA 

BY 

C.  EDGAR  SNOW 


This  fascinating  new  novel  from  the  pen  of  Chaun- 
cey  Edgar  Snow  is  sure  to  attract  widespread  attention. 
In  point  of  originality,  thrilling  interest  and  good  moral 
motive, "Sister  Gratia"  has  no  peer.  The  book  is  real- 
istic, but  not  marred  with  evil  license  or  moral  taint; 
it  is  dramatic,  but  not  ranting;  it  has  a  purpose,  but 
not  to  "reform  the  human  race,"  or  to  "furnish  bread 
for  the  hungry;  "  its  object  is  to  elevate,  enliven  and 
entertain. 

The  opening  chapter  of  "Sister  Gratia"  admits  us  into 
"one  of  those  old  houses  in  the  picturesque  environs  of 
gay  Paris, ' '  and  here  we  are  introduced  to  the  two  hero- 
ines and  the  hero  of  the  story.  Of  the  two  beautiful 
girls  we  at  first  cannot  decide  which  will  enlist  our  sym- 
pathy. "Sister  Gratia"  takes  us  through  Paris,  Flor- 
ence, Rome  and  New  York  City;  it  introduces  us  to 
Evert  Dollond,  whose  noble  character  wins  our  endear- 
ment; to  Grace  and  Lillian,  the  former  strong  and  true 
to  friendship  for  the  latter,  who,  in  consideration  of 
her  unrequited  love  for  Evert,  enlists  our  sympathies; 
to  M.  Jean  Orfila,  a  kind  hearted  but  eccentric  French- 
man of  means,  in  whose  disposition  is  a  fine  sense  of 
the  humorous ;  to  Count  Victor  Villemain,  the  shrewd 
schemer  who  endeavors  to  win  by  fair  or  foul  means  the 
love  of  Grace;  and  who,  being  a  sagacious  man  of  the 


SISTER  GRATIA 


world,  touches  the  foul  fingers  of  felony  with  so  light  an 
impress  as  to  challenge  our  wonder  if  not  admiration; 
to  the  Marquis,  de  Vilbonne,  a  "cold,  dignified  person- 
age" who  aids  the  count  in  many  gentlemanly  (?)  en- 
terprises; to  the  cautious  coachman,  Antoine,  and 
Madame  Fesch,  Count  Villemain's  housekeeper,  who  "is 
but  a  living  monument  of  bone  and  skin;  "  and  then 
come  numerous  minor  characters  of  more  or  less  im- 
portance; and  last  to  be  considered  by  us  is  that  "pretty 
little  mite  of  humanity,"  Camille,  of  only  four  sum- 
mers; for  her  sweet  self  lives  are  risked  and  fortunes 
spent;  and  yet,  in  her  own  words,  "Camille  ain't  dot 
no  doll,"  she  acknowledges  her  poverty. 

With  a  nicety  of  tact  Satan  himself  is  made  to  strut 
upon  "this  diminutive  ball  of  substance  and  matter;" 
and  the  way  his  Satanic  Majesty  scores  the  weakness, 
the  sinfulness  and  the  moral  depravity  of  aristocratic 
humanity,  is  truly  soul-stirring.  And  from  the  open- 
ing sentence  of  "Sister  Gratia"  to  the  denouement  on 
the  final  page  of  the  book  there  is  carried  through  this 
story  a  plot  of  thrilling  interest.  To  achieve  personal 
possession  of  the  beautiful  "Sister  Gratia"  becomes 
Count  Villemain's  object  in  life;  to  ascertain  which 
girl,  Grace  or  Lillian,  is  his  sister,  Evert  Dollond  spends 
a  fortune  and  endangers  his  life  repeatedly;  to  shield 
from  the  dagger's  thrust  the  body  of  the  man  she  loves, 
Lillian  throws  herself  before  the  glittering  blade;  to 
save  her  maiden  virtue  and  prove  to  the  world  that,  in 
the  nineteenth  century,  there  are  women  who  would 
prefer  death  rather  than  surrender  honor,  "Sister 
Gratia"  becomes  a  prisoner.  And  so  we  might  go  on 
indefinitely  reciting  incidents  that  occur  in  this  bril- 
liant story,  whose  men  and  women  seem  to  live  and 
breathe.    Paper,  25  cents. 


FREE  LAND! 

Why  complain  of  hard  times 

when  you  can  get  160  acres  of  Government  land  in 
Colorado  at  a  nominal  cost?  The  total  expense  after 
you  are  once  in  Denver,  will  be  a  little  more  or  less 
than  $50. 00, according  to  your  location.  This  includes 
Land  Office  fees,  going  to  the  land  and  returning  to 
Denver,  locating  and  surveying. 

Some  of  this  land  is  in  Elbert  County,  in  the  famous 
"Bijou  Basin,"  where  irrigation  is  absolutely  unneces- 
sary. It  is  about  45  miles  from  Denver  and  35  from 
Colorado  Springs,  the  two  best  markets  in  the  state. 

The  land  in  Lincoln  County  is  right  on  the  line  of 
the  railroad  and  can  be  irrigated  if  desired.  It  is  all 
close  to  three  lines  of  railroad.  In  a  few  years  these 
lands  will  be  worth  thousands  of  dollars.  Why  not 
take  advantage  of  your  homestead  right,  while  there  is 
still  an  excellent  choice  and  before  the  best  lands  are 
taken?  We  can  secure  reduced  rates  of  transportation 
for  prospective  settlers.  Good  Government  Lands  will 
not  last  much  longer,  and  any  who  have  not  already 
taken  advantage  of  their  right  should  do  so  at  once. 

For  further  information,  address 

BROWER  &  CO., 

Government  Land  Locaters  and  Surveyors, 

51  Bank  Block,  Denver,  Colo. 

Hugo,  Lincoln  County,  Colo.,  office  opp.  Land  Office. 
91  18th  Street,  Flat  4,  Chicago,  111. 


Are  You  Tired? 


Is, 


Tired  of  work  and  tired  of  politics? 
Would  you  like  to  relax  oyer  something  that  will 
rest  you? 

Then  look  over  thislist  of  recent  American  stories, 
make  your  selection  and  luxuriate. 

PAPER  NOVELS  AT  25  CENTS. 

Sister  Gratia  (Satan's  Simplicity).    By  Chauncey  Edgar  Snow. 

Shylock's  Daughter.    By  Margret  Holmes  Bates. 

A  Modern  Love  Story.    By  Harriet  E.  Orcutt. 

The  Auroraphone ;  a  Romance  of  Two  Worlds.    By  Cjrrus  Cole.  . 

From  Earth's  Center;  a  Polar  Gateway  Message.  By  S.  Byron  Welcome. 

A  Siren's  Son.    By  Susie  Lee  Bacon. 

The  Russian  Refugee.    A  Tale  of  the  Blue  Ridge.    By  Henry  R.  Wilson 
The  Last  Tenet  Imposed  upon  the  Khan  of  Tomathoz.    By  Hudor 
Genone. 

PAPER  NOVELS  AT  50  CENTS. 

The  Garden  of  Eden,  U.  S.  A. ;  A  Very  Possible  Story.  By  W.  H.  Bishop. 
Paul  St.  Paul ;  A  Son  of  the  People.    By  Ruby  Beryl  Kyle. 
Washington  Brown,  Farmer.    By  Le  Roy  Armstrong. 
John  Auburntop,  Novelist.    By  Anson  Uriel  Hancock. 

NOVELS  IN  CLOTH  AT  $1.00. 

Roberta.    By  Blanche  Fearing. 

The  Zig-Zag  Paths  of  Life.    By  Matilda  Vanee  Cook. 
The  Garden  of  Eden,  U.  S.  A.    By  W.  H.  B^hop. 
Inquirendo  Island.    By  Hudor  Genone. 
"  Asleep  and  Awake.    By  Raymond  Russell 
Paul  St.  Paul,  A  Son  of  the  People.    By  Ruby  Beryl  Kyle. 
A  Siren's  Son.    By  Susie  Lee  Bacon 
A  Modern  Love  Story.    By  Harriet  E.  Orcutt. 
The  Auroraphone.    A  Romance.    By  Cyrus  Cole. 

*x*For  sale  by  all  booksellers  or  mailed  on  receipt  of  price  by 

CHARLES  H.  KERR  &  COMPANY,  Publishers, 
175  Monroe  Street,  Chicago.  p. 


Date  Due 

813 . 49  H199N 


578003 


( 


